ABSTRACT
The user of a human information processor may be the investigator in a psychological experiment, the teacher of a large lecture course, or simply a participant in an informal social interaction. A resolution of the dilemma is suggested by considering the informational properties of the incentive used in the studies supporting each hypothesis. The confederate who agrees to support auto safety because he believes in it is also providing information that it is desirable to express this belief. The emphasis of information-processing approach is upon the type and amount of information provided a subject about the objective of the user, and the way in which information is assimilated and operated upon to generate outputs that will attain this objective. The studies being described are presented primarily to demonstrate an information processing approach to understanding social phenomena and not to destroy other interpretations.
