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The presence of other people affects our behavior in many ways.

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One powerful example of social influence is conformity

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when we adjust our ideas or behavior to coincide with a group standard.

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When the situation is ambiguous, and there is no obviously correct or appropriate behavior

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we are highly likely to watch others and conform to their behavior, as in the Sherif light movement study

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because we believe that their behavior is correct.

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This is called informational social influence.

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When the situation is unambiguous, when it is obvious what the correct or appropriate behavior is

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as in the Asch line length study, people show less conformity

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but still they frequently give in to social pressure in order not to be different.

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This is called normative social influence.

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Variations of Asch's study found that the pressure to conform is highest when the group is unanimous

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and when the behavior is public.

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Also, the pressure to conform increases as the group size increases

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at least up to about 5 people.

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The pressure to conform is powerful, and it influences our behavior more than we realize.

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But not everyone conforms.

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Some people may resist conformity in order to maintain their sense of individuality

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or to avoid participating in a behavior that they believe is wrong.