The Influence Of The Group On The Judgments Of Children - An Experimental Investigation

THE INFLUENCE O F THE GROUP GBf THE JUDGMENTS OF CHILDREN An Experimental Investigation RUTH W. BERENDA Psychologist, Children Court of the Domestic Relations Court New York City Instructor in Psychology Hunter College KINGS CROWN PRESS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK Foreword THERE HAS BEEN a marked trend in the social psychology of recent years to regard the basic issues as comprising the whole individual his mode of perceiving, feeling, thinking, reacting. This has re sulted in the focusing of interest on the problems of social percep tion specifically, the dynamics which govern perceiving when social pressures require that one define the situation in one way or an other. With this emphasis has come the intensification of the belief that it is only by experimental methods that a solid and dependable answer can be obtained. Naturally, then, social psychologists are delighted to note the reformulation of issues from the standpoint of Gestalt psychology, and the ingenious means by which experiments have been set up to determine the exact role played by past and present factors in guiding individual perception and thought, and the feeling tone which goes with acceptance or rejection of the pressures applied by others to require that we see things as they see them. It is in this context that one must understand the well-planned and competently executed experiments of Dr. Ruth Berenda experiments in which hypotheses are clearly defined, techniques systematically thought through, and data unequivocal as regards their main implications. Without generalizing regarding other sit uations and basically different types of social pressures, social psy chologists may gratefully point here to a studyin which the struggle of the individual to accommodate himself to the requirements of others encounters an obstacle in the individuals clearest and deep est certainties regarding the world around him. It is to be hoped that these new methods will enable us to understand more fully the nature of the struggle between social pressures and the in dividuals demand for autonomy. GARDNER MURPHY NEW YORK CITY July, 1949 Acknowledgments I AM GLAD to have this opportunity to acknowledge the aid and co-operation of the numerous persons who made this study possible. I am greatly indebted to the New School for Social Research for granting me the Halle Fellowship and tuition scholarships for the years 1945-46 during which most of the experimental work was done. For their generous and intelligent co-operation in perform ing these experiments, I am indebted to the many teachers and principals Mrs. Ruth Schatteles and Mr. Benjamin Sallen to Mr. Morris Goodman for his assistance in the experiments to Mr. Jacques Rindner for his expert help with the graphs to Mrs. Belle Lind for her conscientious labor connected with bringing the man uscript to its final form and to the 800 children who participated in this enterprise. For their many fruitful and inspiring discussions on the prob lem, I want to thank Professor Albert Salomon and Professor Carl ton W. Berenda. I have been fortunate and privileged to have the inspiring guid ance and encouragement of Professor Wolfgang Kohler who has generously given of his time and wisdom. For his teachings and his friendship I shall forever be grateful. My main gratitude goes to Professor S. E. Asch for introducing me to the problem and for his constructive criticism andgenerous help. R. W. B. NEW YORK CITY 1949 Contents 1. HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION i 2. FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM AND PROCEDURE 12 3. EXPERIMENT I A GROUP VERSUS A MINORITY OF ONE 14 Problem and Procedure 14 Results 19 The Effect of Age 24 I. Q. and Following 25 Teachers Choice and Frequency of Following 26 Qualitative Differences between Younger and Older Children 27 Discussion 28 Summary 32 4. EXPERIMENT II TEACHER VERSUS CHILD 34 Problem and Procedure 34 Results 36 Discussion 45 Summary 49 5...