Asch Evaluation

Question 1

Name the 4 evaluation points

Answer 1

• Perrin and Spencer ‘child of it’s time’
• Biased sample
• Artificial task (no moral importance)
• Ethical issues

Question 2

Perrin and Spencer ‘child of it’s time’ (explain)

Answer 2

1980

Repeated study with engineering students in UK

1 out of 396 conformed

Question 3

Perrin and Spencer ‘child of it’s time’ (expand)

Answer 3

• 50’s America was particularly conformist (conforming to social norms)
• society has then changed
  Less conformist and more independent

Question 4

Perrin and Spencer ‘child of it’s time’ (link)

Answer 4

It’s a limitation because results are not consistent across the situation and time

Question 5

Biased sample (explain)

Answer 5

• Only men were tested, other research suggest women = more conformist
• USA = individualist culture
  Similar study conducted in CHINA = collectivist culture
  Conformity rates were higher

Question 6

Biased sample (expand)

Answer 6

This is a limitation because cannot be generalised to society

Question 7

Biased sample (link)

Answer 7

Does not take into account gender + cultural differences

Question 8

Artificial task (explain)

Answer 8

• task not seen in everyday life

- low ecological validity

Question 9

Artificial task (expand)

Answer 9

Limiting the extent we generalise results of conformity to everyday life

Question 10

Artificial task (link)

Answer 10

It is a limitation because results cannot apply to real life situation

Question 11

Ethical issues (explain)

Answer 11

• Protection of participants

Psychological stress occurs when one disagrees with the group

Question 12

Ethical issues (expand)

Answer 12

• Participants were deceived
  Thinking confederates were genuine participants
  Believe it was vision test not conformity test
• However deception was necessary to produce valid results

Question 13

Ethical issues (link)

Answer 13

Limitation is that it is ethically questionable