Berry

Question 1

What can this study be used for?

Answer 1

Cultural groups, culture influence on behaviour, enculturation, cultural dimension (individualism/collectivism)

Question 2

Year

Answer 2

1967

Question 3

Aim

Answer 3

To investigate conformity levels between two types of societies (specifically with differences in social norms and socialization practices)

Question 4

Participants

Answer 4

• Temne of Sierra Leone (a society based on rice farming)
• Inuit people of Northern Canada (a society based on hunting and fishing)
• Scottish people (as a reference group)

Each group consisted of around 120 participants

Question 5

Research design

Question 6

Procedure

Answer 6

• Each participant was shown a series of cards. Each card had one line indicated as the “Standard Line”, and several lines indicated as “Comparison lines”. Participants had to select which of the Comparison lines matched the Standard line in length.
• After completing the task with two cards, on the third card, participants were told, “Here’s a hint: most Temne / Inuit / Scottish people think that the correct answer is Line ___”, as the experimenter points to a particular line. On this card, the experimenter points to the correct line.
• For the next three cards (cards 4-6), the experimenter repeats the “Hint”, except points to the wrong line. The point of the study was to see whether participants ignore the faulty advice and choose the correct line, or follow their group in choosing the incorrect line.

Question 7

Results

Answer 7

• The Temne had the highest rate of conformity,
• The Inuit had the lowest rate of conformity,
• This study suggests that cultures vary in the pressure to conform. The Temne culture is the most conformist, while the Inuit culture is the most individualistic.
• The researchers speculate that the reason for this difference is how each culture produces food. The Temne are a rice farming society, and planting rice requires the co-ordination of many people, making it especially important to conform to the group’s decisions. On the other hand, the Inuit are a society of hunters and fishers, which is primarily done individually - making conformity less crucial for survival