In answering general-information questions, a within-person confidence-accuracy (C-A) correlation is typically observed, suggesting that people can monitor the correctness of their knowledge. However, because the correct answer is generally the consensual answer--the one endorsed by most participants--confidence judgment may actually monitor the…

The results of this investigation support, in part, the diffusion of responsibility hypothesis which states that antisocial behavior will occur whenever individuals are motivated to engage in socially-unacceptable behavior, and find themselves in a group of similarly motivated individuals. The mechanism by which this antisocial behavior is…

Tested college students for conformity when conditions contributing to conformity were absent. Found that social pressures (responding in public, being surveyed by fellow group members) are necessary to produce conformity. (RL)

Proposes that the member of a pair who is underrewarded or overrewarded by this partner is motivated to reciprocate and to restore equity, but one who is rewarded by chance is motivated only to restore equity. (MB)

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…

Findings suggest that extroverts are more likely to be susceptible to behavioral contagion, i.e., spontaneous imitation of another's behavior, than introverts. (Author)

Suggests the feasibility of teaching an English or social studies unit on irrational crowd behavior; recommended resources for such a unit are listed and described. (RD)

The "diffusion of responsibility" hypothesis as an explanation of helping behavior (or lack of same) is qualified by suggesting that the hypothesis applies only in non-interacting situations. It is hypothesized that interacting groups who are aware of a help-demanding situation actually focus the responsibility and, therefore, take action as a…

How games influence the psychological and social development of children is examined. It is pointed out that the current emphasis on competition and winning at all costs is harmful and that competition is not instinctive but a learned response to society's expectations. Other cultures such as the Eskimo and Chinese are presented as examples of…

Two innovations were brought to a teachers' college: television was introduced, and it was proposed to merge the college with a university. This study investigated the impact of the two types of change on the social system of the teachers' college from the point of view of the staff. A reaction process paradigm was conceptualized and 31 members of…

This project was designed to study the process of parents teaching preschool age children using a direct observational method. Six mothers and their own three-year-old sons from seven ethnic groups participated: middle-class Anglo, lower-class Anglo, English-speaking Mexican-American, bilingual Mexican-American; Spanish-Speaking Mexican-American,…