The Effects of Social Conformity

Overview

The purpose of this project was to examine the effects that social conformity has on an individual’s decision-making skills. There were two separate groups in this experiment. The first group, or the control group, consisted of a single contestant that answered each question on an intelligence-based questionnaire to the best of their ability. The second group, or the experimental group, consisted of a total of 3 participants, two of which already understood the true intentions behind the experiment. Those two participants purposely attempted to sabotage the third participant’s answers by confidently citing incorrect answers supported by false information. This left the third, uninformed participant with the choice of whether or not they should resist conforming socially, despite the fact that they may disagree with the answers the other participants provided. The experimental participants tested actually scored an average of 23% on the test (meaning that 77% of their answers were incorrect), compared to the control group, which only averaged 35% inaccuracy (65% of their answers were correct). This matched the hypothesis that individuals surrounded by people citing the incorrect answer will sway that participant’s discernment of the correct answer an estimated 70% of the time, as stated by evidence supporting conclusions in similar projects.

Competition history

• ISEF 2021 Behavioral and Social Sciences · Entry BEHA058T Affiliated fair in SD, United States of America

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

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