Social proof is all about how we look to what others do when we are uncertain ourselves…

Qual researchers need to be really wary of ‘social proof’ behaviour in groups because this is where the ‘group effect’ can totally mask realistic behaviour, real-world responses.

It’s key therefore to probe on uncertainty in responses to questions or issues being explored – if people feel uncertain about how they feel, their subsequent answers might be tainted by ‘social proof’ behaviours…