Aim: To investigate informational social influence by examining whether individuals would change their beliefs in an ambiguous situation, one where the correct answer was unclear or open to interpretation.

Method: Jenness created an ambiguous task where 26 student participants were asked to estimate the number of white beans in a glass bottle containing 811 beans. Each participant provided an individual estimate. They were then divided into groups of three and given the opportunity to discuss their estimates. After this group discussion, participants provided a group estimate. Finally, they were asked to give a second individual estimate to see if they would revise their original answer after the group discussion.

Results: The mean estimates before and after the group discussion, for both males and females, are shown below:

The results showed that most participants changed their original estimates after the group discussion. Female participants, on average, changed their estimates by a larger amount compared to male participants.

Jenness also calculated the range of estimates before and after the group discussions. Before the discussion, the range was 1,875. After the discussion, the range decreased to 474, a 75% reduction. This suggests that participants' estimates became more similar after discussing with the group.

Conclusion: The results support the concept of informational social influence. Participants changed their original estimates because they believed the group's answer was more likely to be correct. Since the final estimates were provided privately, it rules out normative social influence, as participants were unlikely to conform to 'fit in' because no one would see their post-discussion responses.