WIRE Student Fellow Drew Longley (’27 Political Science & Psychology major, Humanomics minor) presenting his research at the Wilkinson College Faculty Retreat. Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism major).

This edition of From Our Eyes highlights Drew Longley (‘27 Political Science, Psychology), one of ten student fellows selected for the 2026 Wilkinson Interterm Research Experience (WIRE). This immersive program equips students with the skills and hands-on experience necessary to excel in academic research. For his project, Longley placed liberal college students in a socially constructed political discussion setting modeled after Solomon Asch’s 1956 conformity experiment. Participants believed they were engaging with fellow students, when in reality, the other individuals in the room were actors—allowing Longley to examine how social pressure influences political expression and belief.

As a junior political science and psychology major, conducting experiments like these was a dream of mine since high school.  Throughout college, I was worried that my scholarly creativity would be limited in my undergraduate studies; however, through the Wilkinson Interterm Research Experience (WIRE), I had the great pleasure to design, conduct, and present my own research under the guidance of Dr. Lewis Laurtz and Wilkinson College mentors.

My research began with the understanding that in the United States and around the world, political identities are among the most deeply held, firm, and entrenched core beliefs people hold. Yet, when placed in group environments, even with objective truths on the line, humans will choose the wrong answer in favor of the group’s answer. So a question arises: what happens when we take on one of our strongest core beliefs that we possess and put it up against one of the most confounding social defense mechanisms that we have?

To understand this question, I formulated an original experimental design inspired by Solomon Asch’s 1956 conformity experiment, a groundbreaking study in the field of psychology. My experiment placed  liberal college student participants in a socially constructed political discussion environment. Within this environment, participants were under the assumption that they were with other participants, but in reality, three actors were in the room with them. For the experimental group, in which participants were exposed to the stimulus, actors were instructed to disagree with their political opinions on immigration or gun rights in the United States. Conversely, the control group had the actors behave in a sympathetic manner, reflecting similar conclusions about their beliefs.

The research ultimately concluded that individuals who were a political minority were more susceptible to conforming behaviors, but did not change their political identity. Through various measurements, calculations, and observations, individuals gradually spoke less, said less divisive arguments, and displayed self-described levels of anxiety. However, the participants changed their political beliefs only minimally, demonstrating that there was still a strong, unyielding faith in our moral political values.

(left) WIRE Student Fellow Drew Longley (’27 Political Science & Psychology major, Humanomics minor) and his Faculty Mentor Lewis Luartz (Political Science). Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism major).

This research, which hopefully is the first of many projects, had its shortcomings. From struggling with research design to pulling tooth and nail to get participants, I have learned to persevere through these difficulties to accomplish something that I am genuinely passionate about and proud of. In April, I will present this research at the Midwest Political Science Association’s Behavior and Methods seminar, where I will have the opportunity to showcase my work to some of the most esteemed political science professionals.

I could not be more thankful to Wilkinson College for providing me with the opportunity to explore my passions for research and develop my integrity as an academic. From the field trips to workshops, the program ultimately helped craft my character, amplify my professional background, and help me discover more of who I want to be in the future.

(Pictured in Header: WIRE Student Fellow Drew Longley (’27 Political Science & Psychology major, Humanomics minor) presenting his research at the Wilkinson College Faculty Retreat. Photo by Violet Gude (’29 Broadcast Journalism major).)