Asch's Variations

Question 1

Factors Increasing Conformity

Answer 1

• Group Size
• Task Difficulty
• Status of Majority Group

Question 2

Size of Group

Answer 2

• As group size increases conformity increases.
• Little change to conformity after size reaches 4-5 (Optimal group size).

Question 3

Task Difficulty

Answer 3

• When line were made more similar in length it was more difficult –> increased conformity
• When uncertain we look to others for confirmation.

Question 4

Status of Majority Group

Answer 4

• Higher the status of group the higher the level of conformity.
• May be more influential or have more info so ppl will conform more.

Question 5

Factors Decreasing Conformity

Answer 5

Social Support:
- When one other person from group gives a different answer to others - answers are not unanimous so conformity drops.
- Presence of one confederate that goes against majority choice can reduce conformity by 80%
- Suggests ppl conform due to concern of other’s views (NSI)

Answer in Private:
- When pps answer in private conformity drops –> less group pressure and NSI is less powerful as there is no fear of rejection from group.

Question 6

Variables Investigation by Asch

Answer 6

1) Group Size:
- Varied number of cons in each group between 1-15.
- Found with 2 cons, conformity to wrong answer was 13.6%
- With 3 cons, conformity was 31.8% –> more than 3 cons made little difference.
- Explanation: ppl are very sensitive to others’ opinions - one con was enough to sway opinion.

2) Unanimity:
- Introduced a dissenting confederate - always disagreed with majority answer.
- Found in presence of dissenter, conformity reduced - conformity reduced if dissenter gave right or wrong answer.
- Explanation: having dissenter enabled pps to behave more independently.

3) Task Difficulty:
- Made line-judging task harder by making stimulus line & comparison lines more similar in length.
- Found conformity increased.
- Explanation: situation is more ambiguous –> more likely to look to others for guidance (ISI).

Question 7

Limitation of Asch

Answer 7

ARTIFICIAL TASK & SITUATION

1) Pps knew they were in a research study (demand characteristics) - task was trivial & no reason not to conform —> So findings don’t generalise to everyday life (especially in situations where consequences of conformity are important).

Question 8

Limitation of Asch

Answer 8

LITTLE APPLICATION + CULTURE BIAS

1) Only American men tested & some suggest women might be more conformist - US is individualistic culture & studies in collectivist cultures (e.g. China) found higher conformity rates –> so findings tell us little about conformity in women & other cultures.

Question 9

Ethical Issues

Answer 9

1) Research increased our knowledge of why ppl conform, which can help avoid mindless destructive conformity BUT
pps were deceived and did not give informed consent to take part & may have had a negative experience.
2) BUT we can argue research was justified since there a range of potential applications & stress caused was minimal.