The major downside risk of informational social influence is that the more __________ the situation is, the more we rely on others who are no more likely to be knowledgeable or accurate than we ourselves are, leading us each to adopt others' mistakes and misinterpretations.
A) clearly defined
B) superficial
C) familiar
D) ambiguous

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Informational social influence is the tendency to conform to others' behaviors or opinions because we believe they have more knowledge or expertise in a situation than we do. However, this can be problematic when the situation is ambiguous, meaning there is no clear or definite answer, as we are more likely to rely on others who may also be uncertain or misinformed, resulting in a group consensus based on incorrect information. Therefore, the major downside risk of this type of influence is particularly present in ambiguous situations.

The Major Downside Risk of Informational Social Influence Is That