Studies in acquiescence: I. Social desirability; II. Self-esteem; 3. Creativity; and IV. Prejudice.

Abstract

Summary Four studies on acquiescence are reported. In Study I, 92 high school students were given instructions to answer honestly vs. instructions to make a good impression. Ironically, acquiescence was strongest when Ss were asked to answer honestly. In Study II, 155 college students' data indicated that acquiescence was associated with low self-esteem. In Study III it was found that the acquiescence-self-esteem relationship did not hold for Ss high in creativity (N=103), while Study IV showed that acquiescent Ss do not admit to prejudice (N=84). Additional findings suggest the difficulty of dealing with the acquiescent response set.