Conformity - Asch's Study Flashcards
What was the aim if Asch’s Study?
To investigate conformity through responses of participants to group pressure in an unambiguous situation.
What was the method of Asch’s Study?
123 American male students tested in a group of six to eight confederate.
Two large cards were shown, one with a single standard line and the other with three comparison lines. Participants were asked to select the matching line. The confederate went last or next to last.
18 trials, 12 were critical where confederate all selected the wrong line.
What were the results of Asch’s Study?
On the 12 critical trials the participant gave the wrong answer 1/3 of the time, agreeing with the confederates.
25% of the participants never gave a wrong answer.
What was the conclusion of Asch’s Study?
This shows people are influenced by group pressure.
Also shows a high level of independence as, despite group pressure, the majority went against group opinion.
Child of the times - weakness
One weakness of Asch’s Study is that it may only reflect conformity in 1950s America.
Perrin and Spencer repeated Asch’s Study in 1980 in the UK and found just one conforming response in 396 trials.
This suggests that the asch effect is not consistent over time.
Artificial tasks - weakness
Another weakness is that the task and situation are artificial.
Being asked to judge the length of a line with a group of strangers doesn’t reflect everyday situations where people conform.
This means that the results may not explain more serious real world conformity situations.
