SOCIAL INFLUENCE - Jenness (1932) Conformity Experiment

Question 1

What was the aim of the Jenness (1932) Conformity Experiment?

Answer 1

To examine whether individuals will change their opinion in an ambiguous situation in response to group discussion.

Question 1

What was the method of the Jenness (1932) Conformity Experiment?

Answer 1

• Participants consisted of 26 students
• A glass bottle with 811 white beans was presented to them
• Participants were asked individually to estimate how many beans were in the glass bottle
• Participants were then combined into groups of 3 and were asked to discuss how many beans were in the glass bottle
• After the discussion, participants were individually asked again to estimate the number of beans in the jar, to see if they changed their answer.

Question 2

How many participants made up the Jenness (1932) Conformity Experiment?

Answer 2

26 students

Question 3

What were the findings of the Jenness (1932) Conformity Experiment?

Answer 3

• Nearly all participants changed their original answer (pre discussion) on the number of beans present
• Male participants changed their answer by 256 beans on average
• Female participants changed their answer by 382 beans on average
• The average range of the group decreased from 1875 beans to 474 after discussion which is a decrease of 75%
• This is demonstrative of the converging opinions of the participants after the discussion.

Question 4

What was the conclusion made as a result of the Jenness (1932) Conformity Experiment?

Answer 4

• Individuals changed their initial estimate due to information social influence (the desire to be correct)
• The group estimates were perceived to be more likely to be correct given the situation was ambiguous