PSYC 3103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 36: Solomon Asch, Social Influence, Muzafer Sherif
Document Summary
Conclusions: one of the major characteristics of human nature is susceptibility to social influences. Optical illusion experienced when a person in a totally dark room is shown a stationary point of light. The light appears to move because of eye movements: no objectively correct answer. When asked to estimate amount of movement over time, participants are initially variable but tend to focus on a specific judgment (individual norm) When together in the same room and making judgments out loud, the judgments of participants tend to converge on a group norm. A group is assembled to perform perceptual judgments. Participants make judgments aloud, beginning from the left. However, most are confederates of the experimenter: there is only one na ve participant. On most trials, the group gives the obviously objectively correct answer. However, on group pressure trials, the group unanimously gives the wrong answer. Participants conform to the unanimous group consensus about 1/3 of the time.
