‹i›Group Experiment‹ i› and Other Writings : The Frankfurt School on Public Opinion in Postwar Germany

During the occupation of West Germany after the Second World War, the American authorities commissioned polls to assess the values and opinions of ordinary Germans. They concluded that the fascist attitudes of the Nazi era had weakened to a large degree. **Theodor W. Adorno** and his Frankfurt School colleagues, who returned in 1949 from the United States, were skeptical. They held that standardized polling was an inadequate and superficial method for exploring such questions. In their view, public opinion is not simply an aggregate of individually held opinions, but is fundamentally a public concept, formed through interaction in conversations and with prevailing attitudes and ideas “in the air.” In __Group Experiment__, edited by **Friedrich Pollock**, they published their findings on their group discussion experiments that delved deeper into the process of opinion formation. **Andrew J. Perrin** and **Jeffrey K. Olick** make a case that these experiments are an important missing link in the ontology and methodology of current social-science survey research. During the occupation of West Germany after the Second World War,the American authorities commissioned polls to assess the valuesand opinions of ordinary Germans. They concluded that the fascistattitudes of the Nazi era had weakened to a large degree.Theodor W. Adorno and his Frankfurt Schoolcolleagues, who returned in 1949 from the United States, wereskeptical. They held that standardized polling was an inadequateand superficial method for exploring such questions. In their view,public opinion is not simply an aggregate of individually heldopinions, but is fundamentally a public concept, formed throughinteraction in conversations and with prevailing attitudes andideas "in the air." In Group Experiment, edited byFriedrich Pollock, they published their findingson their group discussion experiments that delved deeper into theprocess of opinion formation. Andrew J. Perrin andJeffrey K. Olick make a case that theseexperiments are an important missing link in the ontology andmethodology of current social-science survey research During The Occupation Of West Germany After The Second World War, The American Authorities Commissioned Polls To Assess The Values And Opinions Of Ordinary Germans. They Concluded That The Fascist Attitudes Of The Nazi Era Had Weakened To A Large Degree. The Author And His Colleagues, Who Returned In 1949 From The United States, Were Skeptical. In Their View, Public Opinion Is Not Simply An Aggregate Of Individually Held Opinions, But Is Fundamentally A Public Concept, Formed Through Interaction In Conversations And With Prevailing Attitudes And Ideas In The Air. In This Book, They Published Their Findings On Their Group Discussion Experiments That Delved Deeper Into The Process Of Opinion Formation. Introduction -- The Method Of The Group Discussion -- The Organization Of The Discussion Materials -- Quantitative Analysis -- Integration Phenomena In Group Discussions -- Afterword. Friedrich Pollock, Theodor W. Adorno, And Colleagues ; Translated, Edited, And Introduced By Andrew J. Perrin And Jeffrey K. Olick. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In "Group Experiment", edited by Friedrich Pollock, Theodor W Adorno and his Frankfurt School colleagues published their findings on their group discussion experiments that delved deeper into the process of opinion formation. This title makes a case that these experiments are an important missing link in the ontology and methodology.