In the research, the students were presented with identical surveys and were unaware of the psychological topic of the survey; therefore, the results were reliable. Overall, 60.5% of the participants believed that others would make the same choices as they did, according to Graph 1.1. The results from the first, third and fourth scenario all strengthened the theory of false consensus effect. Only data from the second scenario rejected the theory as merely 30.9% of the participants predicted that most people would choose the same option as they did, based on Table 1.1. Therefore, the majority of the results approved the hypothesis that people were unconsciously influenced by the false consensus effect. The differing responses between upperclassmen …show more content…
The percentage of boys estimating consensus was 63.78%, which was slightly higher than the percentage of girls--60.71%. The 3.07% was consistent with the hypothesis, but it was too minor to prove the validness of the hypothesis. Nevertheless, it was noticeable that the percentage of the estimated consensus for boys in every scenario was above 50%, while the lowest percentage of the false consensus is 38.10% created by girls in the second scenario. The hypothesis was formulated based on the research of the level of self-esteem for females and males, but the self-esteem level was not evaluated in this research because of its complexity and abstractness. Thus, the future research should integrate accurate measurement of self-esteem to test the correlation between false consensus bias and self-esteem of females and males. Withdrawing a larger sample with equal gender distribution would also be an approach for more precise …show more content…
In this way, the participants had clear idea about the consequence of each choice so that they would make more insightful decisions. In addition, the sample covered every grade level of high school students and gender with relatively equal distribution. However, the sample were all drawn from students in Xavier High School, which was a biased group, and the situation might differ in other schools. Also, high school students did not represent the whole population of teenagers. Therefore, performing the research with more diversified sample would be necessary for future research to explore the false consensus effect. This research only examined the generality of the false consensus effect; the reasons behind it were not yet investigated. Future research can further the study by looking for the possible causes of the false consensus
It often leads to people adjusting responses to stimuli just because they believe that if everyone else has the same response they must have it too. This is shown in "Asch Experiment" after McLeod explained how the dot of light never moved, he mentioned, "The participants are then asked to estimate how far the dot of light moves. These estimates are made out loud, and with repeated trials, each group of three converges on an estimate. The main finding of the study was that groups found their own "social norm" of perception." (McLeod 2) This shows that when placed in an environment where some people have a different opinion than others, the popular opinion takes over and everyone's opinion becomes uniform because people doubt themselves when they are alone on an opinion, leading to conformity. People in environments like this should try to keep their own opinions as to prevent the spread of conformity when uniqueness is
So far, conformity has been discussed in terms of group identification and social roles. However, individuals also tend to change prior beliefs to seek group acceptance. Asch (1951) investigated the effect of group pressure on conformity by asking participants to make a line judgment with seven confederates that gave the same obviously incorrect answer. Yet, 37% of participants conformed by giving the incorrect majority answer, whereas in the absence of group pressure, less than 1% of participants conformed (Asch, 1951). There are implications on normative influence as individuals, despite knowing the majority opinion was incorrect, may conform to avoid social punishment (Breckler et al., 2005). However, Turner and colleagues (1987) argued
Asch, Solomon E. "Studies of Independence and Conformity: I. A Minority of One against a Unanimous Majority." Psychological Monographs: General and Applied 70.9 (1956): 1. Print.
However, when a control group was asked to write down answers separately and without having to voice them, 98% of the responses were correct. The supremacy of conformity was certainly present in Asch’s experiment. Two majorly crucial outcomes emerged from Asch’s research that transformed the field of psychology. First, the power of conformism had been officially and scientifically proven. Second, many other psychologists and scientists became motivated to continue experimenting with conformity.
In the experiment, the group of individuals that were heavily influenced that their judgement was poor had no choice but to join the group’s decision despite having opposing views. Similarly, Eric Forman had to stop attending his disco roller-skating events because his friend group was totally against it. Lastly, Varun ended up telling his girlfriend he cheated because his respect from the group was on the line. All in all, this theory that people have to listen to other individual’s opinions to grade their worth has become obvious through these
Brannon, Linda. "Chapter 7 Gender Stereotypes: Masculinity and Femininity." Gender: Psychological Perspectives. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2005. 159-83. Print.
The researchers, Timothy Judge and Daniel Cable, say that much of the problem is the result of subconscious decisions based on entrenched social
Solomon Asch’s experiment in “Opinions and Social Pressure” studied a subject’s ability to yield to social pressure when placed within a group of strangers. His research helped illustrate how groups encourage conformity. During a typical experiment, members of the group were asked by the experimenter to claim two obvious mismatched lines were identical. The single individual who was not privy to this information was the focal point of the experiment. Twelve out of eighteen times the unsuspecting individual went along with the majority, dispelling his beliefs in favor of the opinions of the group.
Despite the fact of strong gender stereotypes, I think that as our world is becoming advance every day, the concept of gender stereotypes is gradu...
It is one of the most difficult challenges anyone can face, and one that for some cultures could result in very harsh consequences. Stating an opinion that does not relate to the majority’s opinion can be a very frightening experience, yet at the same time be a very refreshing, calming experience. The Spiral of Silence theory, created by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann, explains why people fear to express their opinions when their opinion does not match that of the majority’s. Her research and discoveries will be discussed as well as those that did not feel that her theory was adequate to explain such phenomena as the Spiral of Silence Theory consists of.
tendency could also be to the other extreme; that decisions could shift to a more cautious judgment. Group polarization is an important phenomenon to study because it is relevant to our everyday lives. When people with similar opinions begin to talk about an issue, conflicts can increase because of the intensity of opinions. Group interaction is in our daily lives, thus it is extremely important to understand group polarization in order to understand and avoid dangerous situations. There are three theories that explain this principal: the persuasive arguments theory, the social comparison theory, and the social identity theory. The persuasive arguments theory generally states that group polarization results from an exchange of information, ideas, or facts among group members, thus providing each member more support for his or her position in the form of new ideas and arguments. Group members’ opinions will change if they are exposed to a variety of different opinions assuming it fits into the person’s preexisting opinions and how logical the information represents reality. The social comparison theory generally states that people change their opinions in order to conform to the social norms of the group. This theory compares self with others and a desire for acceptance. If group members find out others have the same opinions, they will usually intensify their views. People want to be socially accepted so they will constantly try to present themselves favorable to others. People do not only want to be accepted, but also want to be perceived more favorable than the other group members. This leads to group members altering opinions to better each other, thus leading to a more positive or negative outcome than would have happened individually. The social identity theory states that there are three steps to group polarization. The first step involves social categorization, this occurs when a person sees him/herself and others into diverse social groups. The second step is after this categorization people determine the characteristic qualities of each group, thus the third step of polarizing and each member adopts the stereotyped attributes of the group.
On the other hand, the authors propose that the other way of assessing information is similar to the bandwagon approach we learn in high school. Any time I think of the bandwagon concept I hear my mother asking “if your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump too?” I thi...
How do other people influence our behaviour? The public may influence our behaviour though social influence in two different ways, the first is normative influence which is “an influence to conform to the positive expectations of others” (Cohen 1964). This is shown by Asch where the participant’s task was to compare the length of the lines by matching the standard line with three comparisons, one of which was clearly obvious the correct answer this is known as an unambiguous task. Asch found that when the majority of the confederate said the wrong answer the minority who was the participant also gave the wrong answer knowing it wasn’t correct (Asch 1956) this shows how they changed their answer to fit in with the group even when they knew the answer they was giving was incorrect. This can be applied to behaviours being influenced by others as people may go along with the group and behave the same way they do even if it’s seen to be frowned upon just to fit in.
Several factors affect conformity. The larger the group, the more likely people are to conform, although this effect levels off at around seven group members. If there is even one dissenter in a group other than the participant, conformity drops dramatically. If the participant is in face-to-face contact with the group, he or she is more likely to conform. And finally, the more ambiguous the solution to the problem, the more likely the participant is to conform to others’ opinions (McLeod,
Women are starting to increase their self esteem. According to Lindsey (2015) “girls tend to retain their sense of self-esteem despite negative messages” (p. 360). Some girls do not allow others opinions to affect what she thinks of herself. For instance, when a stranger is trying to criticize a woman’s beliefs, appearance, or intelligence she will be upset, because she does not agree. More simply, some women are used to people thinking or speaking negatively about them, so they often believe in themselves. Some women do not allow strangers to have an impact on their self esteem, because it is not a personal relationship. In addition, women often surrounded themselves by others who are confident, motivated, inspired, and comfortable with themselves, because it will help build their self esteem. Overall, women should believe in themselves and be