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Assignment questions
PsychologyDiscussion postSocial psychology

Informational vs normative social influence: post guide

The fourth question operates on the examples from the first two, so they have to be chosen with a visible mechanism — and whether an intervention works depends on which type of influence you are dealing with.

Updated

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 6, 2026

01

Which intervention works depends on which mechanism

Four questions, and the last one is the only one that requires the first three to have been done properly.

It asks how reducing the influence of conformity, compliance or obedience would impact the situations you identified. So your two examples are not illustrations you supply and then leave behind; they are the material the final question operates on. That single dependency should govern how you choose them. An example with no identifiable mechanism — everyone at work started using the same app, so I did too — cannot be revisited, because there is nothing in it to intervene upon. An example with a visible mechanism, where you can say who was present, what was public, and what the person believed at the time, can be taken apart in the fourth answer. Choose for the fourth question while writing the first. Most posts in the thread will not do this, and the difference will be obvious: their final paragraph will restate that influence can be reduced, while yours will say what would have happened to two specific people.

The distinction the first two questions rest on is not a matter of degree, and getting it precisely right is what makes the rest of the post work. Informational social influence operates when a situation is genuinely ambiguous and other people's behaviour is treated as evidence about what is true. Normative social influence operates when the person wants to be liked or to avoid standing out, regardless of what they privately believe. The consequence is the part students most often omit: informational influence produces genuine internalised belief change, while normative influence produces public compliance that leaves private belief untouched. That difference is not a footnote — it determines what happens when the audience goes away, and it is the single fact from which every useful answer to the third and fourth questions follows. Write it into the definitions rather than saving it for later.

Which is why the third question does not have a yes or no answer, and a post that gives one has missed the structure. The influence can be decreased, but which intervention works depends on which type you are dealing with. Making responses private is the classic demonstration: when judgements were recorded privately rather than announced aloud, conformity fell to around 12.5%, and screening participants from one another produced the same effect. That works because it removes the audience, and the audience is the entire mechanism of normative influence. Apply it to a case of informational influence and it should do very little, because the person is not performing for anyone — they genuinely believe the group knows something they do not, and privacy does nothing to a belief. This is the point at which most posts quietly generalise, offering anonymity as a fix for conformity in general, and it is worth resisting.

Informational

Normative

What drives it

Wanting to be right where the situation is ambiguous

Wanting to be liked, or not to stand out

What it produces

Private acceptance; belief actually changes

Public compliance; private belief unchanged

Does it persist alone?

Yes, because the belief was internalised

No, it fades once the audience is gone

What reduces it

Better information, competence, confidence in one's own judgement

Anonymity, private response, removing the audience

What barely touches it

Making the response private

Providing more accurate information

The final row is where a distinctive post lives, because it says something counter-intuitive and defensible. More information does not reliably reduce normative conformity: the person may already know the group is wrong and go along regardless, which is precisely what public compliance means. And anonymity does not reliably reduce informational conformity, because a genuine belief does not need an audience to persist. Interventions and mechanisms have to be matched, and a classmate can disagree with your matching, which is what a discussion post is for. Stating the mismatch case explicitly — this intervention would fail here, and here is why — is stronger than listing every intervention you can name, and it is also the sentence most likely to draw a reply, which is the practical measure of a discussion post. A classmate can contest your matching without contesting your facts, which is the most productive kind of disagreement a thread can produce.

Two interventions cut across both types and are worth including because they are the ones with the most practical reach. A single dissenting ally reduces conformity sharply, and it works on both mechanisms at once: it supplies alternative information and it removes the experience of standing alone. In the obedience literature, the presence of disobedient peers is among the strongest situational reductions of compliance with authority, alongside the physical proximity of the person being harmed and the remoteness of the authority figure. Those are situational rather than dispositional levers, which is the underlying point about all of this: the reliable ways to reduce influence change the situation rather than trying to make the person more resistant. Character-based recommendations sound better and do less.

Obedience deserves a sentence of its own because the question names it separately from conformity and compliance, and they are not the same thing. Conformity is matching a group with no request being made; compliance is agreeing to a direct request from someone with no authority over you; obedience is following an instruction from someone who has, or appears to have, authority. Interventions that work on one do not automatically transfer, and a post that treats the three as synonyms will produce recommendations that do not fit the examples it gave. That said, a modern partial replication conducted under current ethical constraints found obedience rates not substantially lower than those obtained decades earlier, which is worth knowing before you claim that people today, being better informed, would simply refuse. The comfortable assumption is the one the evidence does not support.

For the two examples themselves, the most useful test is whether you can say what the person believed when nobody was watching. If the behaviour persisted in private, you are describing informational influence; if it stopped, normative. Real examples are better than invented ones for exactly the reason that fabricated ones resolve too neatly — they never contain the case where someone conformed publicly and privately thought the group was wrong, which is the most instructive thing that can happen in either story.

Pick examples with mechanisms, keep the two types genuinely apart, match each intervention to the mechanism it acts on, and say which one would fail.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Distinguish informational from normative social influence by what each produces, not only by what drives it.
  • 02
    Select examples whose mechanism is visible enough to be analysed later.
  • 03
    Match an intervention to the mechanism it actually acts upon.
  • 04
    Identify cases where a plausible intervention would fail.
  • 05
    Separate conformity, compliance and obedience as distinct phenomena.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

PSY 663 Topic 3 Discussions GCU DQ 1 :Can the influence of conformity, compliance, or obedience be decreased? Provide a real-life example of informational social influences impacting a person’s decision or behavior. Provide a real-life example of normative social influences impacting a person’s decision or behavior. Can the influence of conformity, compliance, or obedience be decreased? How would this impact the situations you identified?
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! PSY 663 Topic 3 Discussions GCU Grading Rubric Guidelines Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion. Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation. The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliable No evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions. Information is not valid, relevant, or reliable Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Application of Course Knowledge – Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources; Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life. Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources. Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson. Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post. Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson content Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Posts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignored No discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life Performance Category 5 4 3 2 0 Interactive Dialogue Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) Exceeds minimum post requirements Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days. Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days Replies to a question posed by a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days. The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty Has only one post for the week Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments Does not post to the thread No connections are made to the topic Minus 1 Point Minus 2 Point Minus 3 Point Minus 4 Point Minus 5 Point Grammar, Syntax, APA Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition 2-3 errors in APA format. Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication. 4-5 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is somewhat focused. 6-7 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand. 8-10 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand. Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format. Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style does not facilitate communication. The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor 0 points lost -5 points lost Total Participation Requirements per discussion thread The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days Early Participation Requirement per discussion thread The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    A real-life example of informational social influence impacting a person's decision or behaviour.
  2. 02
    A real-life example of normative social influence impacting a person's decision or behaviour.
  3. 03
    An answer to whether the influence of conformity, compliance or obedience can be decreased.
  4. 04
    An explanation of how that reduction would impact the two situations already identified.
03

Building a post the fourth question can use

01

The two mechanisms

Define both by cause and by what each produces.

02

Example one: informational

An ambiguous situation where others' behaviour served as evidence.

03

Example two: normative

A situation where belief and behaviour came apart.

04

Can it be decreased

Interventions, each matched to the mechanism it acts on.

05

Back to the examples

Apply the interventions to your own two cases, including one that fails.

04

Go to the 1955 paper, not the summary of it

Recommended databases

  • PsycINFO
  • PubMed
  • GCU Library
  • Google Scholar for citation trails

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Read the original normative-informational distinction rather than a textbook paraphrase of it.
  2. 2.
    Find the conformity figures for public versus private response and record the numbers.
  3. 3.
    Look for the obedience variations rather than only the baseline study.
  4. 4.
    Check whether a modern replication exists before claiming behaviour has changed.
  5. 5.
    For each intervention you propose, find evidence about which mechanism it acts on.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgment.

    Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 51(3), 629-636, American Psychological Association · 1955

    The source of the distinction the whole post rests on. Deutsch and Gerard separated normative social influence -- conforming to the expectations of others, which produces public compliance without private acceptance -- from informational social influence, which is accepting information from others as evidence about reality and produces genuine internalised belief change. They also demonstrated the manipulation that matters most for the third question: judgements recorded privately, or made with participants screened from one another, produced substantially lower conformity than face-to-face public response, because removing the audience removes the normative mechanism specifically.

  2. 02

    Replicating Milgram: Would people still obey today?

    American Psychologist, via PubMed · 2009

    The check on the assumption students make when the prompt names obedience. Burger's partial replication, conducted under modern ethical constraints, found obedience rates not substantially lower than those Milgram obtained decades earlier -- which means a post claiming that people today would simply refuse is asserting something the available replication does not support. Also useful for the guide's point that the strongest reductions in obedience are situational, including the presence of disobedient peers, rather than dispositional.

  3. 03

    Normative & Informational Social Influence | Psychology

    Simply Psychology · 2025

    A teaching summary, cited as such rather than as primary evidence, and included because it is where most students on this topic will actually start. Useful for orienting quickly to the distinction and to the public-versus-private conformity figures before going to the original sources. The guide's position is that a post resting on this alone will read like every other post in the thread, which is the argument for reaching the 1955 paper behind it.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Choosing examples with no identifiable mechanism, leaving nothing for the fourth question to work on.
  • Answering the third question with a bare yes or no.
  • Defining the two influence types by motivation only, omitting private acceptance versus public compliance.
  • Proposing anonymity as a general fix, which does little against informational influence.
  • Proposing better information as a general fix, which does little against normative influence.
  • Treating conformity, compliance and obedience as three words for the same process.
  • Dropping the examples after question two instead of returning to them.
  • Assuming modern participants would simply refuse to obey.
  • Using invented examples, which resolve too neatly to be analysable.
  • Listing every intervention known rather than matching a few to mechanisms.

Submission checklist

  • Both examples name who was present and what was public.
  • The informational example involves genuine ambiguity about what is true.
  • The normative example involves a desire to be liked or not to stand out.
  • The post states what each type produces, not only what causes it.
  • The third answer distinguishes interventions by which mechanism they target.
  • At least one intervention is identified as ineffective for one of the two examples.
  • Conformity, compliance and obedience are treated as distinct.
  • The fourth answer returns explicitly to both earlier examples.
  • At least one empirical finding is cited with its figure.
  • The post leaves a matching judgement a classmate could dispute.

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