The opinions of individuals may be influenced by groups of different gender configurations. This influence was studied by asking college students to respond to a series of statements in pretest and post-test settings. Post-test settings included the use of manipulatively constructed confederate groups to influence the subjects' responses. A pretest was administered in an anonymous nonthreatening environment. Within a week, the subjects were post-tested in a setting with four "confederates" who had previously been instructed to unanimously voice opposite answers to the subjects' initial responses to pretest questions. The objective of this experiment was to determine the number of opinions that were changed when confronted with opposing views. Change of opinions between pretest and post-test were considered to be operational definitions of "conformity."

This research attempted to demonstrate that faction size affects what people are looking for when they attend to conformity stimuli. It was expected that subjects exposed to a majority look for valid informational reasons to agree with the advocated norm, subjects exposed to one influence source attempt to validate the other's judgment, and subjects exposed to a minority attempt both to validate and understand the reason for the minority's judgment. Reconstrual of the stimulus was the proposed mechanism by which majority subjects could find reasons to agree with advocated norm and minority subjects could come to understand the reason for the advocated norm. Thus, stimulus reconstrual was expected to mediate conformity and facilitate private acceptance. Faction size, norm extremity, and attention to the stimulus were manipulated; conformity, reconstrual of the stimulus, and subsequent private acceptance were measured. The stimuli consisted of trait adjectives that subjects rated for positivity during the conformity task. It was found that conformity was greater with a large faction, high attention, and high norm extremity. A main effect for attention had not been found in past research that used perceptual stimuli. It is argued that this difference in findings reflects some fundamental difference between factual judgments (e.g., perceptual stimuli) and value judgments (e.g., trait ratings). More specifically, it is argued that with factual judgments there is an objectively correct answer, whereas with value judgments "correctness" is determined by social comparison. The mplications of the presence or absence of an objectively correct response is discussed with regard to the balance between normative and informational influence mechanisms. In parallel to the effect on conformity it was also found that higher attention increased reconstrual and private acceptance. However, the Faction Size X Attention interaction, which was significant for private acceptance and marginal for reconstrual, indicated that these effects of attention were more pronounced for subjects exposed to a minority than for subjects exposed to a majority. Majority subjects showed almost the same amounts of reconstrual and private acceptance in response to both the high- and low-attention trials. Since it is assumed that subjects did not have enough time to reconstrue the stimulus before they gave their public response on the low-attention trials, this unexpected finding raises questions about the temporal ordering of conformity and reconstrual. That is does reconstrual precede and mediate conformity or succeed and justify conformity, and does the answer vary according to faction size and attention conditions. The present study could not directly answer these questions. Although no clear answer is provided to the question of whether faction size affects what subjects look for when they attend to conformity stimuli, a number of fruitful avenues for future research are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1963 F65 / Master of Science

A cursory glance into the background of Sinclair Lewis reveals that he was an ardent nonconformist. In this study, however, it is pertinent to view more closely the conditions that caused his rebellious attitudes, not only those concerning social reform but also those concerning his personal quest for individuality.

The aim of this study is to examine how two of Swedish Transport Administration- regions perceive the tutorial of actions that the Swedish Transport Administration published as a template. The study examines four reports that investigate problems in the transport system. The tutorial that the Swedish transport administration presented contains guidelines regarding investigations in the transport system. The reports investigate what the problem or the lack of safety depends on. The result from the report is solutions that will solve and meet the problem. The result of this study shows that both regions follow the tutorial of actions and fulfils all the guidelines and demands. The regions present overall similar content. Although, with the same guidelines the reports are different from each other. Differences regarding presentation and the constructions of the reports is clear. The guidelines could be developed with new clarifications. New clarifications should reduce own interpretations and pander the work with reports that investigate problems in the transport system. The solutions that the reports present in the result are relevant, realistic and according to the tutorial approved as solid solutions.

The relationship between the Eriksonian concept of ego identity status and the social process of conformity was investigated. Ego identity status was measured by the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (OM-EIS) (Adams, Shea, and Fitch, 1979). A total of 87 subjects were categorized into one of the four ego identity status groups: Diffusion, Foreclosure, Moratorium, and Identity Achievement. Conformity was measured by peer ratings, and experimental task, and by three self-report personality measures. Two of the conformity measures supported the main hypothesis that those in the less mature ego identity statuses (Diffusion and Foreclosure) would demonstrate the most conformity behavior. More specifically, peers rated males in the Diffusion and Foreclosure statuses as more conforming, and wales and females in the Diffusion status rated themselves as more conforming on a peer pressure conformity self-report. In light of these results, the relationship between conformity and ego identity status is discussed.

The relationship between conformity behavior and the four identity statuses as operationalized by Marcia was studied in 80 college students. Also, various personality characteristics were studied relative to their discernability by identity status and their relationship to conformity behavior. As sex difference was a major consideration in the study, the sample was divided into 40 males and 40 females ranging in age from 18 to 25 years. Statistical analysis indicated there were no significant differences between identity statuses relative to conformity for either males or females. In addition, very few personality characteristics were indicative of conformity for either sex. However, knowledge of personality profiles led to the correct classification into the four identity statuses for 72.5% of male subjects and 67.5% of the female subjects. These results would appear to indicate that identity and personality are positively related constructs which are not easily transferable to overt behavior regardless of sex.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-151).

This paper is a combination of spatial duopoly model together with consumption externality model. Under the circumstance of heterogeneous products, I will discuss separately the influence of consumption externalities on the optimal equilibrium strategy of the firm. When consumers are characterized with the snob, the equilibrium price tends to be higher; however, consumers are characterized with the conformity, firms will be fierce price competition. Moreover, given the existence of conspicuous goods, consumers purchase a conspicuous good in order to display their relative high income and thereby achieve greater social status. And for this type of conspicuous consumers, the government will generally levy a luxury tax or even prohibit the consumption of the conspicuous good. And finally, by comparing these two cases with the laissez-faire economy, changes in the social welfare are exactly in an opposite direction.

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