Yi Huang et al (2014)

• AIM Yi huang et al conducted a study to investigate whether social conformity reflects private acceptance or public compliance by examining the stability of behavioural changes in judgments.
• • There were 2 conditions. 
  • In the first condition, The sample included 17 Chinese university students including 5 men and 12 women (1). [mean age = 22 years]
  • In the second condition: Three different groups of student participants were recruited from South China Normal University. 18 students took part in the 1-day group 16 were in the 3-day group, 17 in the 7-day group 
• • 280 digital colour photographs of faces of young Chinese women with neutral expressions were obtained (1). Each photograph was displayed for 2 seconds on a computer screen (1). 
  • Participants rated attractiveness from a likert scale ranging from 1-8 then an alleged average attractiveness rating from 200 other students appeared onscreen for 2 seconds (1). Initial rating was shown for 0.5 seconds 
• • In 25% of trials, the group rating agreed with the participant rating (peers agree condition). In 75% of trials, the group rating was equally likely to be above or below the participant rating (peers-higher and peers-lower conditions).
  • After 3 months, participants were called back and asked to rate the same faces again
• Validity: There were strict controls in the study such as using the same 280 digital photographs as well as timing exactly 2 seconds to show alleged rating and ensuring 75% of trials was peers high and peers low conditions from the participant rating. ⇒ Increases validity as extraneous variables were controlled.
• Validity: Participants were all tested to ensure they had normal or adjusted to normal visions, as well as were all right handed, and reports were given to ensure they had no psychological disorders ⇒ reduces participant variables and increases validity
• Study was approved by the ethics committee of South China Normal University ⇒ participants were given right to withdraw, 30 yuan incentive at the start ⇒ increases validity and ethics that judgement was not due to monetary bribery
• • Population validity: Study used chinese studens from the south china normal university ⇒ lacks generalisability to other countries and ages 
• Ethics: Deception: Participants were informed that they were taking part in research about human perception of facial attractiveness./ participants were not informed of the call back study after 3 months ⇒ lacks ethics as BPS code of ethics state that researchers need to maintain integrity and responsibility to disclose honest aims without deceiving, espite it affecting demand characteristics
• The study lacks task validity ⇒ rating 280 faces does not happen in real life and does not represent conformity in situations such as perception of beauty standards in pageant rating situations