Abstract
The proposed research is designed to address whether individuals born in culturally collectivist’s backgrounds or individualistic backgrounds are more or less likely to conform than the other under social pressures. Participants will be 40 male and 40 female undergraduate students from Monash University. Half of which will be of Asian descent and the other of Caucasian descent. Participants will first undergo a self-monitoring scale (SMS) prior to the study; and grouped as either LSM or HSM Asian American or Caucasian American, they will also be required to sit an experiment where they undertake a test in set conditions with no time limit. The proposed research will provide a much-needed window on the effects social pressure to conform …show more content…
Individuals are predisposed to conform in order to belong to a group. (Canning, 2002; Freedman, 2001). We see throughout history how conformity can quickly become dangerous, such events include the 1933 Holocaust and cults such as the Children Of God- where groups of people become “sheep” and conform to the mass majority and commit heinous acts. However, with greater shifts in culture/era, moving from a more collectivists to individualist culture brings greater independence and less conformity (Perrin & Spencer; 1980) many are starting to see that conformity is no longer …show more content…
Then equally split into two groups. The study will emulate a real life classroom and confederates will be seated before and after participants arrive. The experimenter will then tell the participants that all have arrived and will now commence the test. An informed consent will be given to participants and confederates. Experimenter will communicate the maths test and informing participants that there will be a variety of easy and challenging questions and there being no time restriction (quiz can be handed in at any time). The test will then begin. A second experimenter will be timing and watching the participants. In the “leave early” condition, the first confederate will leave after 10 minutes, after 15 seconds later the next will leave and so on until all confederate have left. Then as participants begin to leave they will be recorded on the time and asked prior to the study whether they felt pressured to leave the room once everyone else started to and then what sub-group they belonged to. The participant will then be debriefed and told that the other participants were confederates and what the purposes of the study were for. The same steps will be followed for the “do not leave” condition except confederates will stay till the end. The Monash University Human Research
The proposed research is designed to address whether individuals born in culturally collectivist’s backgrounds or individualistic backgrounds are more or less likely to conform than the other under social pressures. Participants will be 40 male and 40 female undergraduate students from Monash University. Half of which will be of Asian descent and the other of Caucasian descent. Participants will first undergo a self-monitoring scale (SMS) prior to the study; and grouped as either LSM or HSM Asian American or Caucasian American, they will also be required to sit an experiment where they undertake a test in set conditions with no time limit. The proposed research will provide a much-needed window on the effects social pressure to conform …show more content…
Individuals are predisposed to conform in order to belong to a group. (Canning, 2002; Freedman, 2001). We see throughout history how conformity can quickly become dangerous, such events include the 1933 Holocaust and cults such as the Children Of God- where groups of people become “sheep” and conform to the mass majority and commit heinous acts. However, with greater shifts in culture/era, moving from a more collectivists to individualist culture brings greater independence and less conformity (Perrin & Spencer; 1980) many are starting to see that conformity is no longer …show more content…
Then equally split into two groups. The study will emulate a real life classroom and confederates will be seated before and after participants arrive. The experimenter will then tell the participants that all have arrived and will now commence the test. An informed consent will be given to participants and confederates. Experimenter will communicate the maths test and informing participants that there will be a variety of easy and challenging questions and there being no time restriction (quiz can be handed in at any time). The test will then begin. A second experimenter will be timing and watching the participants. In the “leave early” condition, the first confederate will leave after 10 minutes, after 15 seconds later the next will leave and so on until all confederate have left. Then as participants begin to leave they will be recorded on the time and asked prior to the study whether they felt pressured to leave the room once everyone else started to and then what sub-group they belonged to. The participant will then be debriefed and told that the other participants were confederates and what the purposes of the study were for. The same steps will be followed for the “do not leave” condition except confederates will stay till the end. The Monash University Human Research