An experimental evaluation of "no-pressure" influence

Abstract

"… an effort was made to test experimentally the relative effectiveness of varying degrees of pressure exerted by instructors in indoctrinating aircrewmen concerning an emergency ration known as 'pemmican.' The Ss were 427 aircrewmen composing 43 small training groups randomly assigned to one control and six experimental groups. Subjects were issued eight of the meat bars for use during the nine-day simulated survival experience. Criteria of acceptance were obtained at the end of training along with measures of perceived instructor effort to influence… . instructors were relatively unsuccessful in exercising 'no influence' insofar as trainee perceptions are concerned. When the seven conditions were arranged in order of perceived instructor pressure… pressure up to a certain point appears to be accompanied by increased acceptability and that beyond this point influence efforts operate in an inverse direction to that intended. Those who perceive 'no effort' to influence them, tend to react most favorably." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)