Individuals who function in a group often do so differently than when left upon their own. To conduct the study, one individual and one group of people should be observed in two separate rooms.
The individual will be able to observe the group by means of a one-way window. The group will be unaware of the individual. All the group members except one were told to clap their hands in unison when a piece of rhythmic music begins to play. The individual in the adjacent room will observe this behavior as well as be able to hear the music.
As soon as the music begins to play, it is hypothesized that the person without prior coaching will be initially surprised. The other group members will overtly or covertly stare at the person or encourage him or her to participate. It is further hypothesized that the person will sooner rather than later begin to clap along. It is also hypothesized that the person in the adjacent room will not be so influenced.
The study should be carried out for various different participants. Interesting results can be yielded by composing...
The uncoached person could for example be a particularly strong personality, while the person in the adjacent room can be someone with a very conformative, yielding personality.
In conclusion, people at times tend to conform without critically considering their actions. Research such as this will provide the opportunity to stimulate not only new discoveries about conformity, but also critical thinking about the phenomenon.
References
ChangingMinds.org. (2010). Normative Social Influence. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/normative_social_influence.htm
Lord, Kenneth R., Myung-Soo Lee, Peggy Choong (2001), "DIFFERENCES in NORMATIVE and INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE," in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 28, eds. Mary C. Gilly and Joan Meyers-Levy, Valdosta, GA: Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 280-285.
McLeod, S.A. (2007) Simply Psychology [Online] UK: Available: http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk / Accessed: March 15, 2010
