How can normative social influence be used as an explanation of conformity?

People tend to agree with the opinion of the majority, or behave in a similar way to the majority, in order to gain acceptance and approval, and avoid rejection. An example of this is the Asch experiment, where participants were asked to choose the line with the same length as a line they were already shown, after hearing other 'participants' who were actually confederates choosing the wrong line. On average, one third of participants conformed, showing that the power of social pressure in influencing behaviour. The degree to which people are influenced by social norms differs between individuals. This can depend on how much people want to be liked and accepted by others, and by how confident they are in themselves. Another explanation for conformity could be informational influence, which is where people agree with majority of the group because they believe they are more informed than themselves.