Abstract
This research meta-analyzed 13 journal articles regarding anonymity and conformity to group norms. Results showed that there was a positive relationship between anonymity and conformity, with a weighted mean effect size r= 0.16, which was in line with the social identity model of deindividuation effects. This study also investigated the differences between different types of anonymity and found that visual anonymity had a medium magnitude of effect size on conformity (r= 0.33), whereas evidence was lacking in terms of the significant effects of physical anonymity and personal information anonymity. In addition, the presence of an outgroup was also a moderator of the effect of anonymity on conformity. Studies in which participants were aware of the existence of an outgroup (r= 0.22) had larger effect sizes than those with no outgroup (r= 0.10).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 398-415 |
| Journal | International Journal of Communication |
| Volume | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Research Keywords
- Anonymity
- Conformity
- Depersonalization
- Group identification
- Meta-analysis
Publisher's Copyright Statement
- This full text is made available under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/