Asch || Flashcards
What were the findings?
32% of PPTs gave the incorrect answer on the critical trials
75% gave the incorrect answer at least once.
5% gave the incorrect answer for all 12 questions.
In control group, less than 1% gave the incorrect answer.
Changed behaviour to avoid social disapproval despite trusting their own perceptions
1951
What was Asch’s aim?
- To investigate the degree to which individuals would conform to the majoirty despite obviously incorrect answers.
- Used 123 males in USA to participate in vision task.
Bigger may not always be better.
How does group size affect conformity?
Carried out many variations with 1-15 confederates.
When there was 3 confederates, conformity was at 32%, same as the original study where there was 7 confederates.
With 15 confederates, demand charactersitics were introduced. Conformity is at its highest with 3 confederates.
How does unanimity affect conformity?
When 1 confederate gave the correct answer, conformity dropped to 5%.
When 1confederate gave a different incorrect answer, conformity dropped to 9%.
If groups unanimity position is broken, conformity is reduced, even if answer is incorrect.
Links to social support
How does task difficulty affect conformity?
In OG study, the correct line was obvious but in variations the correct line was more difficult to spot.
Conformity increased due to ISI.
Weakness: Perrin and Spencer
Evaluation of Asch
Perrin and Spencer 1980 called Aschs experiment a child of its time.
Carried out experiment with mathematic/engineering students and found that only one out of 396 trials did the observer conform to the majority.
—–> Used critical thinking
Results cannot be replicated which suggests that it is unreliable.
1950s/modern day
Evaluation of Asch
Lack of historical validity.
People in the 1950s were more compliant compared to modern times.
Sample size was androcentric and ethnocentric which suggests that Aschs study had cultural bias.
If someone is more attractive, what does that lead to?
Evaluation of Asch
Stang (1973) found that more attractive a group of PPTs are, the higher the rate of conformity.
Supports NSI argument for conformity has the more socially acceptable the group is deemed to be, the more a person would try to avoid social rejection.
