evaluations 1.2 Flashcards
Asch- Conformity- Artificial tasks and situations
One limitation of Asch’s research is that the tasks and situation were artificial, which may have led to demand characteristics. Participants were aware they were part of an experiment, which could have influenced their behavior, as they might have guessed the purpose of the study and altered their responses to fit what they thought the researcher expected. Susan Fiske pointed out that the groups in Asch’s study did not reflect real-life social dynamics, as the participants were strangers to each other, and the tasks (such as judging line lengths) were not meaningful in everyday life. As a result, the findings may not generalize to real-world situations, where social influence often operates in more complex and natural contexts. This suggests that while Asch’s study provides insight into conformity in controlled settings, its ecological validity is limited.
Limited application-Asch-Conformity
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A limitation of Asch’s study is that it predominantly involved American men, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations. Other research suggests that women may be more likely to conform than men, as they may place greater value on group harmony and social relationships. Additionally, cultural factors may influence conformity, with collectivist cultures, which emphasize group cohesion and interdependence, potentially leading to higher conformity rates compared to individualistic cultures, like the U.S. where personal autonomy is more highly valued. This suggests that Asch’s findings may not apply universally and that conformity could vary across both gender and cultural contexts, highlighting the need for further research in diverse settings to understand the broader applicability of conformity theories.
ASCH- conformity
Research supports the idea that task difficulty can influence conformity, as demonstrated by Todd Lucas’s study on math problems. Lucas found that participants were more likely to conform when the math problems were difficult, suggesting that uncertainty or lack of confidence in one’s own abilities can increase susceptibility to social influence. However, the situation is more complex than just task difficulty. Conformity in these situations may also involve factors such as the desire to avoid being wrong, the influence of group dynamics, and individual differences in personality. Therefore, while task difficulty is an important factor, it interacts with other elements like self-esteem and social pressure, making the relationship between task difficulty and conformity multifaceted.
