The Power of Conformity (CT Scan, Episode 23)

Is a message true because many people seem to think so? Logic says no, but psychology shows that popular opinion is incredibly persuasive. Research reveals that a third of students will give a wrong answer to an easy question, just because everyone else does. People are also less likely to think critically about arguments voicing the majority opinion. What does this mean for Christians in secular classrooms and cultures?

CITED REFERENCES
• Asch, Solomon E. (1955). “Opinions and social pressure”. Scientific American, 193(5), 31-35.
• Asch, Solomon E. (1956). “Studies of independence and conformity. A minority of one against a unanimous majority”. Psychological Monographs. 70 (9): 1–70.

*Correction to video: While Asch (1955) found that students resisted conformity pressure far more often in the presence of a non-conforming peer, the finding that 95% of students resisted conformity under such conditions comes from Morris; Miller (1975). “The effects of consensus-breaking and consensus-preempting partners on reduction in conformity". Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 11 (3): 215–223

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