Sex differences in conformity were examined as participants approached two ATMs, one of which was occupied by three confederates and the other immediately available. The number of men and women in the line in front of one of the ATMs was manipulated (3 men or 3 women), and an unobtrusive observer recorded the sex of each participant. The results indicated that women were more likely than men to wait in line to use the ATM regardless of the makeup of the line. Thus, the present study provides evidence in favor of the idea that sex differences in conformity are evident on a common task performed in a natural setting.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AllenV. L. (1965) Situational factors in conformity. In BerkowitzL. (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology. Vol. 2. New York: Academic Press. Pp. 133–176.
2.
AronsonE. (1972) The social animal. (2nd ed.) Oxford, UK: Freeman.
3.
AschS. E. (1952) Social psychology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
4.
AschS. E. (1955) Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193, 31–35.
5.
AschS. E. (1956) Studies of independence and conformity: a minority of one against a unanimous majority. Psychological Monographs, 70, Whole No. 416.
6.
CrutchfieldR. S. (1955) Conformity and character. American Psychologist, 10, 191–198.
7.
EaglyA. H. (1978) Sex differences in influenceability. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 86–116.
8.
EaglyA. H. (1987) Sex differences in social behavior: a social-role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
9.
EaglyA. H.WarrenR. (1976) Intelligence, comprehension, and opinion change. Journal of Personality, 44, 226–242.
10.
EaglyA. H.WoodW.FishbaughL. (1981) Sex differences in conformity: surveillance by the group as a determinant of male nonconformity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 384–394.
11.
EndlerN. S.WiesenthalD. L.CowardT.EdwardsJ.GellerS. H. (1975) Generalization of relative competence mediating conformity across differing tasks. European Journal of Social Psychology, 5, 281–287.
12.
KrechD.CrutchfieldR. S.BallacheyE. L. (1962) Individual in society: a textbook of social psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
13.
McIlveenR.GrossR. (1999) Social influence. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
14.
SanteeR. T.MaslachC. (1982) To agree or not to agree: personal dissent amid social pressure to conform. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 690–700.
15.
SistrunkF.McDavidJ. (1971) Sex variable in conforming behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 17, 200–207.
16.
TuddenhamR. D. (1958) The influences of a distorted group norm upon individual judgment. Journal of Psychology, 46, 227–241.
17.
WorchelS.CooperJ. (1976) Understanding social psychology. Oxford, UK: Dorsey.
18.
WrenK. (1999) Social influences. Florence, KY: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.
