Abstract
Most of the current psychological knowledge about conformity relates to direct social pressure. However, little is known about how people conform to perceived social pressure. This study examined whether individuals conform to perceived, not direct, social pressure in a naturalistic setting. We hypothesized that individuals would conform to perceived social pressure and that females would conform more than males. Participants were invited to guess the number of M&M's in a jar. An experimental group was subjected to fabricated guesses without direct social pressure to conform. Results indicate a main effect for conformity (p<0. 001) and for gender (p<0.05). Individuals, especially females, were found to conform to perceived social pressure.
Recommended Citation
(2009)
"Conformity: The Effects of Misinformation Without Direct Social Pressure,"
Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology: Vol. 5:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/intuition/vol5/iss1/7