Social Influence in the Crowd: Attitudinal and Behavioural Effects of De-Individuation in Conditions of High and Low Group Salience
Author(s)
Reicher, Steve
Abstract
The social identity framework suggested by H. Tajfel (1978) and J. C. Turner (1982) is used to argue that deindividuation works by altering the salience of personal and social identity. In the present study, 70 university students from science and 38 from social science faculties were shown a film presenting arguments for and against vivisection, at the end of which they were told that science students had a pro-vivisection norm and social science students had an anti-vivisection norm. Participants were then told that they were being examined either as members of their faculty group or as individuals. They were either deindividuated or individuated. It was predicted that the group condition should increase salience of social identity and adherence to the group norm. It was also predicted that deindividuation in the group condition would further increase salience and hence normative behavior, while in the individual condition deindividuation would decrease salience and hence normative behavior. The first prediction was upheld on all the measures, and the second was partially confirmed.
