The present study was conducted to determine whether independence produced by social support provided on one type of item in a group pressure situation would generalize to a different item on which the subject was opposed by a consensual group. Moreover, in one condition the group member providing social support varied over trials. It was…

This study investigated the role of one factor in the dramatic conformity reduction produced by a partner who agrees with S in the face of group pressure--the independent assessment of social and physical reality provided by the partner. Two social support conditions, varying only in S's perception of the partner's adequacy as a valid reference…

Research by the U.S. Office of Education under the provisions of the Cooperative Research Program (Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning).

This paper presents a critical review of empirical and theoretical treatments of group reaction to attitudinal deviancy. Inspired by Festinger's (1950) ideas on resolution of attitudinal discrepancies in groups, Schachter (1951) conducted an experiment that has greatly influenced subsequent research and theory concerning reaction to attitudinal…

The present studies tested the hypothesis that a social supporter with negative task related characteristics would be less effective in reducing conformity in a group pressure situation than a social supporter without such negative traits. The subjects consisted of 77 undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin and the hypothesis was tested in a…

When categorized into one of two groups, subjects preferred information indicating ingroup similarity and outgroup dissimilarity. When categorized into a single group, subjects preferred maximum information about others regardless of content. No preference occurred when subjects were not categorized into a group. Thus, preferred information…

Age trends in conformity and independence, using a sample of 366 children from the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th grades were investigated. Three types of stimuli were used: (1) visual judgments; (2) opinion statements; and (3) delay of gratification preferences. Age-trends were observed for unanimous peer pressure, adult influence, and peer pressure…

An experiment was performed in which 155 undergraduate student subjects were provided with information about a stimulus person whose behavioral consistency varied on several issues. The study assumed that if the individual's behavior on the relevant topic was consistent, then behavior on the other issues should have no impact on persuasiveness,…