asch's study - variables affecting conformity Flashcards
(12 cards)
state the three variables that affect conformity.
group size
unanimity
task difficulty
what was the aim of Asch’s study?(research into informational social influence)
to investigate conformity and majority influence.
what type of participants were used in Asch’s study?
123 US male undergraduates in groups of 6 - consisting of one true participant and five confederates.
describe the procedure of Asch’s study.
- participants were given four lines - three comparison lines and one standard line.
- they were each asked to state which of the three comparison lines matched the standard line.
- the real participant always answered last.
- confederates gave the same incorrect answer for 12 out of 18
trials. - Asch observed how often the participant would give the same
incorrect answer as the confederates versus the correct answer.
what were the findings of Asch’s study?
36.8% conformed
25% didn’t conform
75% conformed at least once
in the control trial only 1% were incorrect.
describe how group size affected conformity levels.
an individual is more likely to conform within a larger group.
increasing group size, increases the level of conformity (33%)
describe how unanimity affected conformity levels.
an individual is more likely to conform when the group is unanimous - all give same answer.
when joined by another participant who gave a different answer, conformity levels decreased.
the more unanimous the group, the more confidence participant will have that they are all correct.
describe how task difficulty affected conformity levels.
an individual is more likely to conform when the task is difficult e.g Asch made the comparison lines more similar in length and since it was harder, conformity increased.
when task is difficult you are more uncertain and so you look at others for confirmation.
what are the strengths of this study?
high reliability - used standardised procedures so study can be replicated.
high internal validity - control over extraneous variables (lab experiment) so easily replicated.
what are the weaknesses of this study?
possible demand characteristics.
lacks ecological validity - based on peoples perception of lines so findings cannot be generalised to real life.
lacks population validity - sample/gender bias, only used US male students which means it’s not representative of whole population so findings cannot be generalised.
ethical issues - deception, as participants thought study was about perception not compliance so couldn’t give informed consent.
what did Perrin and Spencer argue?
lacks temporal validity as conformity was much higher in 1950s so findings cannot be generalised across all time periods.
evaluation of conformity.
- difficult to distinguish between compliance and internalisation.
- good research support for ISI.
