When participants were first placed in a dark room alone and asked to estimate the apparent movement of a point of light, individuals were consistent in their own estimates, and these estimates differed greatly from participant to participant.When participants made the same estimates in a group setting, their estimates converged.According to Muzafer Sherif (1936), why did this happen? Conformity occurs when people

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Sherif's experiment demonstrated informational influence, which occurs when individuals use others' behaviors and opinions as cues for what is correct or appropriate. In this case, participants used the estimates of others as a reference point to adjust their own estimates, leading to convergence in the group. A and B refer to factors that may contribute to conformity, but they do not explain the phenomenon observed in Sherif's experiment. D refers to the concept of deindividuation, which is a separate topic from conformity.

When Participants Were First Placed in a Dark Room Alone