effect of authority on the tendency to accept information or knowledge regarding knowledge acquisition

effect of authority on the tendency to accept information or knowledge regarding knowledge acquisition

Introduction

The general topic or the research question that this topic seeks to consider is the effect of authority on the tendency to accept information or knowledge regarding knowledge acquisition. The primary question aims to examine how people respond to information or knowledge from others based on their authority and how they can synthesize such information depending on how they rank the particular source. The source of specific information matters in different contexts because it determines how credible a given source is and simultaneously offers an opportunity to distinguish between various sources of information. People prefer to get information directly from sources that they can trust, and that pushes them to question each source by examining distinct details about the author as a criterion for knowing the credibility of a source. For instance, sources that are held in high regard provide information that is easily acceptable since their previous works suggest that they are experienced and can handle several issues efficiently. Also, such individuals use their past experiences as reference points for basing all consecutive sources to improve on the credibility score and validity.

Literature review

This particular experiment correlates with the article cited and adds to the already existing knowledge pool. Several written sources exist within different capacities, but while seeking to assess the validity of a specific piece of writing, considering some factors relating to the publisher or the person who presents the information is crucial. Every person is entitled to their perspective, but that does not mean that it is universal enough that everyone can rely upon it. People tend to accept information that is given by a reliable author or publisher as opposed to knowledge acquired from anonymous sources. The reliability of specific information mostly depends on the source because the aim of various writings differs, and authors have particular goals that they seek to accomplish with their writing. Thus, information that is published anonymously by individuals may have a lower credibility score because people cannot quickly determine the extent to which such knowledge can be valuable to them.

Sources have a critical role in determining how people treat different pieces of information because generally, print publications with authors tend to be more reliable just because of the primary source. Anybody who seeks to find information on any topic strives to find the best information possible, and besides, the information should be current and reliable. However, one universal fact is that most people tend to treat certain information as more reliable than others because of the authors’ reputation as people who have always made worthy publications that are reliable.

Milgram Stanley, a social psychologist, researched the impact of authority on obedience and concluded that people usually obey out of either fear or a need to seem cooperative even when it goes against their better judgment and needs. Thus, people can be reluctant to confront or challenge those who misuse power. Similarly, the claim that people are more likely to believe a piece of information, which is stated by a highly respected source, is a crucial area of social psychology because people’s behavior is based on how they perceive themselves and their ability to make decisions. One primary reason why people may disregard information from a lower source while highly embracing knowledge from a source that is considered to be from a respected source is to appear likable or adopt a positive attitude even if their agreement is contrary to what they believe or feel. People may also agree with information from a respected source based on a social psychology perspective to gain the favor of those in authority or to sync with other people in an attempt to have a similar relationship.

On the other hand, people tend to consider sources of information based on their levels of respect or acknowledgment associated with them, and sources that are accorded lesser respect may be less trusted or acknowledged since they have less back up and are less significant or widespread to many people. Thus, it is quite challenging to establish their relevance and validity. Also, people have distinct cognitive capacities that align with what they believe in, and that implies that the mentality that people have or the perception they have of various sources may not be easily disputed. For an extensive period, most individuals have had the notion that the level of respect that a source is granted symbolizes the validity of such knowledge and that information can be utilized accordingly because the source is trustworthy under authority.

However, a contradicting opinion is that most individuals may opt to agree with or believe a piece of information that is issued by a highly respected source even if the consequences are well known and are less beneficial to such people. Everybody is entitled to their perspective, but in some instances, people may agree with certain information at the expense of their feelings or intuition, to evade any possibilities of differing opinions or disagreements with the sentiments of a person who is held in high regard. Arguably, people may potentially disregard their intuition or their already possessed information because they intend to replace it with knowledge from a source that is deemed to be more reliable because of the source. Errors are standard, and as so, criticism is essential as well as questioning every available source before determining the most dependable because holding a source in high regard does not always imply that the source of information is valid and reliable. People should critically examine sources rather than basing their opinions about credibility on how a source is regarded.

The hypothesis is that people are more likely to believe a piece of information which is stated by a highly respected source

Methods

Participants

The study was conducted in the classroom, and it included a total of thirty participants who were recruited through three processes namely; primarily identifying individuals using the exclusion and exclusion criteria, approaching them or bringing to their attention the study, and thirdly seeking their agreement and obtaining their consent to participate in the study. Exclusion and inclusion criteria, in this case, involved identifying participants from my class based on their willingness to participate in the research and availability. After recruitment, they gave their consent upon acquiring sufficient knowledge on the nature of the study and agreed to participate willingly by answering the questions of a questionnaire. The goal of engaging classmates was to ensure that the group of participants comprised individuals who could respond effectively since they have interacted with many sources of knowledge, and they possessed the ability to discern between different information pieces and identify the ones they could sufficiently align with and rely on as superior.

Materials

The experiment was exploratory intending to investigate an area that has not been clearly defined before. Getting a better understanding of the research question by finding appropriate answers implies that the outcome will lead up to better insight about an issue. The experiment was carried out by primary research to collect data that was analysed to make substantial conclusions and answer the research question. The method of data collection included the use of questionnaires that were filled by participating individuals in the classroom.

The questionnaires were structured in an open-ended format to allow the respondents to fully express themselves and provide sufficient data without limiting their responses. The allocated time for the experiment gave ample time to analyse the responses while going through all the available information to make final inferences on social psychology and its role in how people synthesise information from different sources. The method of using questionnaires presented an opportunity to answer questions according to the knowledge of participants and increased the chances of collecting accurate and valid data that were assessed to make reliable conclusions and inferences as well as implications for practice. The questionnaires were easy to respond to because the responses were solicited from the perspective of students’ experience with different knowledge sources. Questionnaires also had the advantage of the flexibility and in-depth data because of the liberty to answer the questions at one’s convenience. The responses from the participants were then scrutinized and grouped according to how social psychology affects people’s perceptions of knowledge acquired from sources of a higher rank.

Procedure

The first procedure involved briefing the participants of the nature of the study, the methods involved, the critical research question that was to be answered, and the implications for further practice. They got full information about the experiment area to discern whether they could participate effectively in the study by giving narrations of their own experiences. After acquiring knowledge, they gave informed consent and agreed to take part in the experiment as it would be necessary for various studies. Upon presenting their consent, the experiment began by requesting all the participants to brainstorm and reflect on all instances where they had believed and relied upon specific knowledge or information because it was acquired from a higher authority or a well-known author or publisher. Next, they brainstormed on the instances in which they had rejected information from a source, against their desires, for the fact that the source of knowledge was less reputable, judging from the level of authority. The participants were then grouped into categories comprising of five people each, and the six groups first shared insight about the research question amongst themselves. They narrated their experiences with complying with the needs of people in authority or the tendency to believe authority as a more critical factor. They also shared insight about the types of books they have read as well as course materials that they have interacted with and used in the course of learning to discern the criteria that were used by the majority to acquire knowledge. The next step was reflecting on the number of occasions that they had responded positively or agreed with directives or information from a particular individual who was in authority even if the information did not align with the interests of the participants.

After the reflection stage, the actual experiment began, and the questionnaires were issued to all participants. They were requested to fill them accurately by responding to the provided sets of questions. The participants were assured of confidentiality and privacy supposing they provided any confidential information, and besides, their anonymity was maintained to ensure the experiment attained the best results. They were given two hours to fill the questionnaires at their convenience and then return them to the research leaders for data analysis. The questionnaires were structured in an open-ended format so that the respondents could give sufficient information on the topic of experimentation. The data collected from the questionnaires were then analysed to make inferences and valid conclusions. The variables that were being tested were included as essential components of the questions and structured such that different treatments could give the desired results. The principal idea that the experiment seeks to put forth is the validity of the claim that people are more likely to believe a piece of information, which is stated by a highly respected source.

Variables

The dependent variable is the proportion of people in each condition who indicate that they would treat the given information as true or false after considering some pieces of information about specific topics. The variable defines the total number of individuals who would affirm that they would find any information given to them as true or false based on the knowledge possessed about given topics. Thus, the outcome was reliant on certain factors.

The independent variable is whether or not the given information in the article is cited under respected sources. The variable that does not change throughout the experiment is linked to the relationship between the provided knowledge and the primary source to determine whether the respondents would agree to it or object most of the information.

The variables will be related in the manner specified by the hypothesis because the study is centred on social psychology. The latter suggests that people comply with a request that is stated by an authority. Thus, information that is cited under the name of a respected source is more likely to be accepted or can easily influence people’s beliefs. Therefore, such information is expected to be considered as dependable and reliable. The stated article asserts that under the pressure of authority’s request, people usually obey or comply with the command given. However, they experience a significant conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience.

Conclusion

The experiment focused on examining the hypothesis that people are more likely to believe a piece of information, which is stated by a highly respected source. The variables were manipulated, and the participants responded to the questions in the questionnaire to help in proving the validity of the hypothesis. The data collected from the participants could be utilized in understanding how people choose to treat various pieces of information based on the source. Credibility is highly essential, and when selecting the most reliable information, people tend to classify knowledge based on the source and the authority. Credible information is convincingly true and accurate; thus can be used to back up arguments in research or knowledge acquisition, and that explains why the hypothesis is correct.