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2011-05-24
2011-05-24
This leads us to another study conducted by Moscivici and Lage (1976), which involved four participants and two confederates. The minority of the two confederates described a blue-green color as green. The result was that the minority was able to influence about 32 % of the participants to make at least one incorrect judgment about the color of the slides they were shown. Also, the participants continued to give incorrect answers even after the two confederates had left the experiment. Therefore, participants did conform even though there was only a minority that influenced. Hogg and Vaughan (1995) explain how a minority can cause the majority to conform. The reasons are: Dissenting opinions produce uncertainty and doubt, lowers ones confidence in an answer. Such opinions show that alternatives exist, and therefore what they assumed is the right answer does not have to be. Consistency shows that there is a commitment to the alternative view.
Here one can see a correlation between the factors affecting conformity in the study Asch conducted and the conformity explanation of minority over majority in Moscivici and Lages study. Unanimity agrees with Consistency shows that there is a commitment to the alternative view, since they all agree on something and are consistent on it, and therefore the participant can conform. Also, dissenting opinions, which produces uncertainty and doubt, supports Aschs explanation in which if self-esteem is high the one is less likely to conform, since one does not care about the others opinions. Here one can see that Moscivici and Lages study supports Aschs study, since they both state that disagreeing and low confidence than cause people to conform easily. In conclusion, one can state that the factors affecting conformity are group size, unanimity, confidence and self-esteem, which supports Moscivici and Lages study and Hogg and Vaughan (1995) explanation of minority over majority influence. These factors affect conformity largely, since by looking at the studies conducted this is proven correct.