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Social Support in Absentia: The Effect of an Absentee Partner on Conformity

An experiment was conducted to test the effectiveness of an absentee social supporter as a way of reducing conformity. Eighty female subjects responded in five-person groups. On the pretext of a mechanical failure in the apparatus, four group members gave answers on 11 trials while the subject observed but did not answer. The same series of 11 trials was then repeated (the apparatus having allegedly been repaired), with the subject answering in one of three conditions: (1) unanimous pressure: during both presentations of the 11 trials all group members gave extremely incorrect or unpopular answers on all critical trials; (2) present social support: during both presentations one person in the group always gave correct or popular answers on critical trials in disagreement with the group; (3) absent social support: during the first presentation one group member always gave correct answers on critical trials, but left the experiment before the second presentation. Results showed that both the physically present supporter and the absentee supporter significantly reduced conformity relative to the unanimous group. The findings have implications for reference group theory. It is suggested that an absentee supporter will reduce conformity only if a person is able cognitively to place the partner in the same role; that is, only if a person believes that the supporter would resist group pressure when facing the same situation.