Erroneous Judgments Research Articles

Social Support, Dissent and Conformity

The present study investigated the effect on conformity of direction and degree of dissent from the erroneous judgments of a simulated group. Results showed that in judging visual items, conformity was significantly reduced either by a dissenter giving the correct response or by a dissenter giving a response much more incorrect than the group's. On opinion items the presence of a veridical dissenter significantly reduced conformity, but the presence of an extreme erroneous dissenter did not. It was suggested that for objective visual stimuli any response that breaks group consensus leads to rejecting the group; this rejection accounts for conformity reduction in the presence of either a veridical dissenter or an extreme erroneous dissenter. In contrast, for subjective opinion stimuli, the emotional support of a partner, provided by the veridical dissenter, seems necessary for conformity reduction.

Effects of prior agreement by others on task confidence and conformity.

Abstract : An experiment was conducted to explore further the relationship between prior agreement from others and subsequent conformity to their erroneous judgments. 240 Ss were arrayed in a 2 x 6 x 2 factorial design with sex, levels of prior agreement, and two questionnaire conditions defining each of the factors respectively. Two related hypotheses were tested: (1) that task confidence is a direct function of the level of prior agreement experienced, and (2) that conformity is curvilinearly related to the level of task confidence and prior agreement. Task confidence was thus hypothesized to mediate the relationship between agreement and conformity. During phase one of the procedure, Ss responded in the first position of a modified Crutchfield apparatus, where they saw either 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, or 0% of their peers agree with them on each of 20 judgments of an unambiguous stimulus. In a control condition, no feedback was provided. In phase two, Ss shifted to the usual last response position and their conformity was assessed. Results confirmed the hypotheses. In addition, sex differences in reaction to prior agreement were explored. (Author)

Conformity as a Function of Age Level

An experiment was undertaken to test the hypothesis that conformity develops in 2 stages, increasing up to the adolescent period and decreasing thereafter. A 2x 4 factorial design was used involving sex and 4 age groups. 24 Ss (12 male and 12 female) were selected to compose 4 age groups. Subjects in each group were subjected to erroneous judgments in a simulated conformity situation. In agreement with the hypothesis, conformity increased to adolescence and decreased after adolescence.

Achievement Motivation, Affiliation Motivation, and Task Difficulty as Determinants of Social Conformity

Abstract : Extending from the differentiation of normative and informational processes of social influence an investigation of interactions between two motivational factors (achievement needs and affiliation needs and one situational factor (task difficulty or ambiguity) was executed. Undergraduates were subjected to contrived group pressures toward erroneous perceptual judgments. An analysis of variance of frequencies of conforming behavior revealed (a) that conformity occurs more frequently on maximally ambiguous perceptual tasks than on relatively unambiguous ones, and more frequently on unambiguous tasks which are characterized by lack of subjective confidence in accuracy of judgment than on ones characterized by high levels of confidence in accuracy of judgment; (b) that predispositional achievement nees are related to characterization of the task stuation as easy, difficult, or impossible whereas predispositional affiliation needs are unrelated to task characterization; (c) that high levels of achievement motivation operate to suppress differentiation of response to social influence as a function of differences in affiliation motivation, while low levels of affiliation motivation may generate relative indifference to social influences regardless of differences in achievement motivati n; and (d) the sex differences in frequency of conformity to group pressures disappear when predispositional motivational factors are controlled. (Author)

MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY OF AUTOMOBILE DRIVING.I. THE SHAPE OF THE TRACKING CURVE ON AN EMPTY STRAIGHT ROAD.

The idea was suggested by the author previously (Bull. Math. Biophysics,22, 257–262, 1962) that the keeping of the car close to the center of the lane is a problem of psychophysical discrimination between two conflicting stimuli, namely a stimulus to turn away from the left, resp. right edge of the lane. This is elaborated in the present paper. The effects of discrimination threshold and of the endogenous fluctuations which result in erroneous judgments are discussed. In order that driving should be possible at all, a relation, derived in this paper, must hold between the threshold of discriminationh, the sensitivity coefficientb of the driver to changes in the distance between the car and the edge of the lane, and the width of the lane. General expressions are derived which characterize the stochastic nature of the tracking curve.

Coalitions in Mixed-Sex Triads

In the experimental study of small little attention has been paid to the problem of differences in behavior between groups homogeneous and heterogeneous with respect to sex. A typical procedure, in fact, is to control for the effect of sex, as by constituting groups all of the same sex. There are, of course, sound reasons for this strategy, since the aim of the experimenter is to manipulate some stated interaction variable, like cohesiveness, communication net, etc. Nevertheless, not only are mixed-sex groups just as natural in their occurrence as any other combination of persons, but there are ample grounds for supposing that mixed-sex groups will act differently from same-sex groups. Differences between the sexes in social interests and values are summarized in Anastasi (1), from which data it is evident that males and females ought to contribute, on the average, different traits to mixed interaction situations. More directly relevant to the present study, however, are the marked differences appearing in a simple game situation (10), leading to the formulation of contrasting sex roles. Males were found to play competitively, with strong motivation to win, whereas females were more concerned with social and ethical considerations, oriented towards arriving at an outcome in the game maximally satisfactory (or fair) to all three participants. It is interesting, then, to ask what happens when these two strategies are placed in contact with each other (that is, by composing groups of both sexes). A second issue in the present case has to do with the relations between majority and segments of the group. It is surprising that this matter, too, has received very little experimental treatment. Most of the literature available deals with minority groups, in the sense of racial or religious affiliations within the dominant white, Protestant society. Bierstedt (3) has remarked upon the significance of majority behavior as a research problem, but he, also, is preoccupied with the intergroup relations in the sense just mentioned. The most directly pertinent study is that by Asch (2), who showed the powerful influence exerted by a majority in bringing about erroneous judgments by a (of one). Among the critical subjects,there were distinguished a group of yielders, who readily followed the suggestion provided by the

Group Decision-Making and Disagreement

WT7E FIND ourselves today in a somewhat paradoxical situation concerning the matter of willingness to disagree with others. On the one hand, psychologists, sociologists, educators, and management experts have placed much emphasis on the importance of maintaining harmony, congeniality, and agreement in groups-business, industry, family, military, and so on. On the other hand, many leaders have been bemoaning the fact that we seem to be living in an age of conformity and that controversy is a lost art. Brainwashing is gradually becoming a part of our everyday vocabulary and seems destined to assume a much broader connotation than communist indoctrination. One important piece of recent research' paints a rather alarming picture of the extent to which we are susceptible to brainwashing in this broader sense of succumbing to group influences. In his experiments, Asch generated a disagreement between single individuals and small groups concerning a clear and simple matter of fact in the immediate environment. Only one-fourth of his subjects adhered to their own judgments when confronted with the different and erroneous judgments of groups. What then is the meaning of this paradox for group decision-making? First, I shall present some findings from our program of research at the USAF Survival Training School which tell something about the nature and function of disagreement in group decision-making. Then I shall attempt to summarize possible applications of these findings to everyday decision-making activities.

Orientation of New Pupils

Previous articleNext article No AccessOrientation of New PupilsAdolph A. SandinAdolph A. Sandin Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Elementary School Journal Volume 43, Number 9May, 1943 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/458219 Views: 1Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.