Abstract
This experiment tests the spiral of silence's conformity hypothesis by manipulating perceptions of opinion, which are not unanimous, about a controversial, morally loaded issue — George Bush's involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. The test incorporates an ideologically consonant media message about the issue and establishes an actual condition of impending public scrutiny. The findings offer partial support for the conformity hypothesis and suggest that conformity is associated with social status and psychological predisposition toward conformity.
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