Jenness(1932)

• Conducted one of the earliest experiments examining conformity.
• He used an ambiguous situation that involved a glass bottle filled with 811 white beans.
• The sample consisted of 26 students who individually estimated how many beans were inside the glass bottle.
• Participants were divided into groups then discussed their answers with the other members of the group.
• Following the discussion, participants were provided with another opportunity individually to estimate the number of white beans again.
• This helped the psychologist see if the participants cant their answers due to conformity.
• Jenness found that nearly 100% of participants changed their original answer, after they had discussed their guesses with other participants.
• On average male participants changed their original answers by 256.
• Female participants also changed their original answers by 382.
• Results demonstrate the power of conformity in an ambiguous situation and are likely to be a result of informational social influence.
• The participants in this experiment changed their answers because they believed that after discussing their answers with the rest of the group was more likely to be right than the individuals estimates
• Other examples where people conform are:

  • Laugh at a joke which isn't funny.
  • Eat something you don't like because others are.
  • Wearing something because your friends are.
  • Watching TV shows because your peers have.
  • Changing music taste to match your friends.