4.1.1 social influence

Question 2

What is meant by conformity ?

Answer 2

A change in behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or a group of people

Question 3

When was Asch’s conformity investigation ?

Answer 3

1955

Question 4

What was the aim of Ash’s study ?

Answer 4

To investigate the degree to which individuals would conform to majority who gave obviously wrong answers

Question 5

What were the characteristics of the participants ?

Answer 5

123 American male student volunteers

Question 6

What was the method used in Asch’s investigation ?

Answer 6

Participants were put in groups of 7-9 others and sat i a line or around a table with confederates
The confederates gave the wrong answers and the naive always answered last or seconnd to last

Question 7

What was the task of the study ?

Answer 7

Which comparison line A B or C was the same as a stimulus

Question 8

How many trials wers there ?

Answer 8

18 different trials
12 of them were critical trials

Question 9

What was the percentage that conformed ?

Answer 9

75% at least once
5% everytime

Question 10

What was the percentage that didn’t conform at all ?

Answer 10

25%

Question 11

What are the 4 methodological issues ?

Answer 11

-procedure was uneconomical and time consuming as one participant is tested at a time
- lacked mundane realism , the study was lab based and the task was unrealistic
- demand characteristics
- social desirability

Question 12

What were the 3 ethical issues ?

Answer 12

• involved deceit
• involved psycholojcal harm due to the stress of disagreeing
• due to the characteristics of the participants you cant generalise to anyone other than those particular people

Question 13

How did Asch overcome the deceit issue ?

Answer 13

Participants were debreifed at the end and wasked if they still want to participate in the results and findings