title: Informational and Normative Influences in Conformity from a Neurocomputational Perspective.
abstract: We consider two distinct influences that drive conformity behaviour. Whereas informational influences facilitate adaptive and accurate responses, normative influences bias decisions to enhance social acceptance. We explore these influences from a perspective of perceptual and value-based decision-making models and apply these models to classical works on conformity. We argue that an informational account predicts a surprising tendency to conform. Moreover, we detail how normative influences fit into this framework and interact with social influences. Finally, we explore potential neuronal substrates for informational and normative influences based on a consideration of the neurobiological literature, highlighting conceptual shortcomings particularly with regard to a failure to segregate informational and normative influences.
authors.affiliation: Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany; Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: toelch@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Toelch
authors.affiliation: Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK; Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dolan
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D012925:Social Conformity; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D066262:Social Norms
keywords: computational model; conformity; fMRI; information; norms; reinforcement learning