Abstract
The effects of reference group influences and stimulus ambiguity on conformity in judgments of the fashionability of clothing were investigated using an established conformity paradigm. In a laboratory experiment, 160 female subjects made a reassessment of their original opin ions of the fashionability of six women's suits after being exposed to opinions attributed to one of four reference groups: peers, fashion experts, housewives, or career women (a control group received no group influence manipulation). In addition, half the subjects made judg ments of the present fashionability and half made judgments of the fashionability two years from now. Greater conformity resulted for the more ambiguous judgments of future fash ionability than to judgments of present fashionability. Individuals also conformed more when the opinion was attributed to fashion experts than when the opinion was attributed to the other reference groups. Results are discussed in terms of social influence processes underlying conformity, and implications for fashion research are drawn.
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