Research methods and applications

¶ … Social Psychology Research -- Fashion and Conformity

One of the most fascinating aspects of social psychology is the capacity of social groups and learned connotations to alter the opinion of the individual. It is evident in classic experiments in which subjects alter their answers about obvious observations because of their need to conform to group consensus. Fashion, convention, and fads are also substantially functions of social conformity; that is why clothing fashion (in particular) is cyclical and repetitive. This experiment is designed to demonstrate how much subjective connotations and social conformity of opinion influences the opinions of the individual.

Experimental Method and Design

This project involved the use of two groups of ten individuals each. The group members were told that they would be evaluating an associate professor's lecturing skills in connection with his candidacy for promotion to full professorship. Each group received the same lecture in Anthropology from the same professor dressed in the same attire except for one small element: a label on his lab smock. After the lecture, both groups filled out a 20-question, multiple-choice questionnaire containing typical questions about the candidate's lecturing style and proficiency.

Their responses to Questions 9 and 10 were the sole source of data analyzed; the other questions were designed exclusively to mask the purpose of the questionnaire. Question 9 was "Describe the professor's attire": A. Professional; B. Unprofessional, C. Casual; and D. Fashionable. Question 10 was "How well do you think the professor relates to students generally: A. Tries too hard; B. Probably quite well; C. Probably not that well; D. Unable to evaluate.

In both trials the professor entered the room after the students were already seated, after which he introduced himself the same way and delivered the identical lecture. At the conclusion of both lectures he asked whether there were any questions. One Caucasian female and one black male student in each group were provided with the same questions and the other group members instructed before the lecture not to ask questions. This procedure was designed to ensure that the content of the professor's responses were the same in both sessions and that he had the same types of interactions in both sessions.

The experimental design was intended to eliminate any extraneous differences capable of influencing the results. The only difference in the two trials was the deliberate presence or absence (respectively) of a label affixed to the exterior of the professor's shirt. In both cases the professor wore the same casual pants and clean leather shoes. His shirt consisted of a white laboratory coat that had been cut off at the waist and tucked into his pants. The collar of the lab coat was turned up and the sleeves rolled up to below the elbows. In the first (test) group the professor's lab coat had a "DKNY" label affixed prominently to the left breast pocket. In the (control) group the professor wore the same shirt without any label attached. The shirt was unstained and fresh-looking but not new.

Finally, after the initial data collection, the subjects were advised of the genuine research topic and method in connection with a request for their consent to analyze the results participant-by-participant. Originally, they were assured of anonymity. All 20 participants granted consent to analyze their responses individually.

Experimental Hypothesis and Variables

Hypotheses

Hypothesis #1 -- the control group will characterize the professor's attire as

"Casual" or "Unprofessional."

Hypothesis #2 -- the test group will characterize the professor's attire as

"Fashionable."

Hypothesis # 3 -- the control group will characterize the professor's style as

"Tries too hard."

Hypothesis # 4 -- the test group will characterize the professor's style as

"Probably quite well."

Independent Variable

The independent variable is the presence or absence of the "DKNY" label on the professor's shirt.

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable is the responses to Questions 9 and 10.

Results

Question 9:

Within the control group, there were 7 "Unprofessional" and 3

"Casual" responses. Within the test group, there were 5 "Fashionable" responses, 3 "Casual" responses, and 2 "Unprofessional" responses.

Question 10:

Within the control group, there were 4 "Probably quite well" responses, 4 "Unable to evaluate" responses, and 2 "Tries too hard" responses. Within the test group, there were 8 "Probably quite well" responses and 2 "Tries too hard" responses.

Data Analysis and Discussion

The results of the experiment confirmed all of the experimental hypotheses. When the professor wore a lab coat casually fashioned into a plain shirt, it elicited a 70% disapproval rate and 0% characterization of "Fashionable." When the professor wore the same shirt with the DKNY brand label, it elicited a 50% "Fashionable" rating, and only 20% disapproval. Clearly, the subjective connotations associated with the brand label appear to have contributed substantially to the response of the subjects to the professor.