Research into conformity - Asch Flashcards
What was the aim of Asch’s experiment?
To investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform.
What was the procedure of Asch’s experiment?
50 male students were given a ‘task of visual perception’. There was a standard line and three comparison lines. Ppt had to call out in turn which line (A, B or C) was the same length of the standard. The real ppt was seated in a row amongst the confederates. The true ppt could see that one of the lines was obviously a match, the others obviously wrong. 12 out of 18 times, the confederates were told to give the wrong answer. Real was seated 2nd to last, so listened to the same answer over and over.
How many people gave the same answer as the confederates in Asch’s experiment?
37% conformity rate
How many participants conformed in every single critical trial in Asch’s study?
5%
How many participants remained completely independent in Asch’s experiment?
25%
What was the conclusion of Asch’s experiment?
The majority of ppt’s conformed to the wrong answer even when they knew it was wrong because they didn’t want to stand out. This supports the theory of NSI, as the ppt’s did not want to be rejected from the group.
How did the difficulty of the task affect Asch’s experiment?
Some of the lines were easier to tell apart than others.
Conformity increases when the task is harder because you are unsure of your capability so look to experts.
How did the size of the majority affect Asch’s experiment?
Asch increased the number of confederates from 1 to 15 to see if the number of people made more of a difference than the agreement itself. He found that there was very little difference in conformity.
How did unanimity affect Asch’s experiment?
Asch introduced a confederate who acted as a dissenter within the group. The real ppt conformed less than 25% when the dissenter was part of the group.
What is the generalisability of Asch’s study?
It could be considered low. Lacks temporal validity as modern day replications found that people are far less conforming in a line test.
123 males - the study is androcentric.
Swarthmore college in Pennsylvania - conformity not the same in all societies or cultures. Study is ethnocentric.
What is the reliability of Asch’s study?
High because it has clear standardised procedures. 7 confederates. All ppts heard the wrong answer in 12 out of 18 trials.
What practical applications does Asch’s study have?
Jurors now warned about conformity so they do not feel excessive pressure by other jury members to give a specific verdict.
What is the validity of Asch’s study?
High internal validity - 18 trials allows cause and effect to be established
Low external validity - artificial environment
Did Asch’s study follow ethical guidelines?
It broke ethical guidelines because the participants were deceived, meaning they didn’t give informed consent.
