SOCIAL INFLUENCE: Sherif's (1935) Conformity Experiment

Question 1

When was Sherif’s experiment

Answer 1

1935

Question 2

What was the Sherif experiment based on (illusion)

Answer 2

A visual illusion called the ‘auto kinetic effect’ was used. This involves a stationary spot of light viewed in a dark room, which appears to move.

Question 3

What was the Sherif experiment

Answer 3

Participants were falsely told that the experimenter would move the spot of light. They were instructed to estimate how far it moved. In the 1st phase, individual participants made repeated estimates. They were then put into a group of 3 people, where they made their estimate w others present. They were then tested again individually.

Question 4

What were the results of the Sherif experiment

Answer 4

• When participants were alone, they developed their own stable estimates (personal norms), which varied widely between participants.
• However, once participants were in a group, the estimates tended to converge & become more alike.
• When they were retested individually again, the estimates were move like the group estimates, rather than their original guesses.
  CONCLUSION: participants were influenced by the estimates of other ppl, & a group norm was developed

Question 5

Flaws of the Sherif experiment

Answer 5

• Unrealistic, artificial situation therefore lacks ecological validity
• Male sample, so cannot generalise
• Ethical issues as participants were deceived, unaware of true intentions of the experiment