AbstractFloyd H. Allport's primary concern was to develop a social psychology based on the study of the individual, independent of more sociological approaches. His work on social facilitation and the J‐curve of conformity reflects these concerns, besides betraying Allport's behavioristic preference for simple, atheoretical studies that would lead to easily quantifiable results. Sherif, on the other hand, attempted to integrate interdisciplinary sources into a context out of which an experimental social psychology could emerge. He conducted a program of laboratory studies on the formation of social norms that display a broader, more holistic emphasis than Allport's. It is argued that Sherif's social norms work tied in nicely with a new trend towards integrative group research in conformity and related topics that led away from narrower, more stimulus‐oriented approaches like Allpor