Conformity

Jenness (1932)

aim: To examine whether individuals will change their opinion in an ambiguous situation.

method: a sample of 26 students were asked individually to estimate how many beans were in glass bottle that was filled with 811 white beans. Participants were then put into groups of three and asked to make a group estimate.

findings: nearly all the participants changed their original answer. The answers had a 74% decrease.

conclusion: The findings suggest that individuals changed their estimate due to informational social influence.

Asch (1951)

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