In Fein's experiment, students were randomly assigned to three groups to watch the Clinton-Bush debates of the 1990s. Two of the groups had persons (confederates) in them who were actually working with Fein and were told to cheer Clinton and criticize Bush in one group and the reverse in the other group. The third group served as the control group. The real subjects in the two groups were then asked to rate the candidates' performances. It was found that the group pressure exerted by the confederates had
______________ on how the candidates were rated by each of the experimental groups.

Question

In Fein's experiment, students were randomly assigned to three groups to watch the Clinton-Bush debates of the 1990s. Two of the groups had persons (confederates) in them who were actually working with Fein and were told to cheer Clinton and criticize Bush in one group and the reverse in the other group. The third group served as the control group. The real subjects in the two groups were then asked to rate the candidates' performances. It was found that the group pressure exerted by the confederates had
 ______________ on how the candidates were rated by each of the experimental groups.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The presence of confederates who either cheered for Clinton and criticized Bush or did the reverse in their respective groups would create a social influence or group pressure, affecting the real subjects' perceptions and ratings of the candidates, leading to a strong effect on their evaluations.

In Fein's Experiment, Students Were Randomly Assigned to Three Groups