You are eating out at a restaurant with a group of people. All of the others in your party have ordered and now it is your turn to order. Using the research on conformity, what factors will influence whether you are likely to conform?

Conformity involves yielding to social pressure. Solomon Asch conducted a classic experiment where subjects were asked to make unambiguous judgments, indicating which of three lines on a card matched an original standard. The task was easy, and seven subjects were asked one at a time to make their judgments aloud. Only the sixth subject was a real subject, the others gave wrong answers. Asch wanted to see how often people conformed, and gave an answer they knew was wrong, just because everyone else did. He found that on average, they conformed 37% of the time; however, there was considerable variability among subjects (some never caved in at all). Subsequent studies using a similar protocol found that group size influences conformity, with larger groups increasing conformity. Follow-up studies also showed that group unanimity significantly influences conformity; if just one other person does not go along with the group (a dissenter), subjects are significantly less likely to conform.