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Social Support and Conformity: The Effect of Response Order and Differentiation from the Group
Author(s) -
ALLEN VER L.,
LEVINE JOHN M.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1971.tb00731.x
Subject(s) - supporter , conformity , psychology , social psychology , subject (documents) , norm (philosophy) , opposition (politics) , law , political science , politics , library science , computer science , history , archaeology
Several recent investigations (Allen & Levine, 1968, 1969, 1971) have supported Asch's (1951) conclusion that the presence of one person who answers prior to a naive subject, and correctly dissents from an erroneous group consensus, significantly reduces conformity relative to a unanimous group. The present study investigated two unexplored variables of potential theoretical importance in explaining the effectiveness of such social support from a partner: (1) response position of the partner, and (2) nature of the social relationship between the subject and the partner relative to other group members. In previous studies the social supporter has typically answered fourth and the subject fifth (last) in a five‐person group (Allen & Levine, 1968, 1969, 1971). Whether it is crucial to conformity reduction that the social supporter respond immediately prior to the subject—and hence after the other group members have established a norm—is open to question. One line of argument would predict that a partner answering fourth will be more effective in reducing conformity than a partner answering first. A social supporter responding fourth appears to have bravely taken a stand against a unanimously opposing group. Such attribution of courage may create a positive impression of the social supporter, thereby increasing the subject's willingness to agree with the supporter in opposition to the group.