Asch’s Research

Question 1

Asch’s Aim

Answer 1

• To test conformity under non ambiguous conditions and devised a simple perceptual task of matching the length of one line to one of three other comparison lines.

Question 2

Asch’s Procedure

Answer 2

• 123 American Male Students
• Told it was a study into perception when actually was a study into how they confirmed in an unambiguous situation.
• Task was so easy that control participants made almost no errors.
• One real participant tested at a time with 7 confederates surrounding them pretending to be real.
• Confederates told beforehand to all give same wrong answer on 12/18 trials.
• In a lab.
• Real participant went second to last.

Question 3

Asch’s Findings

Answer 3

• Quantitative - participants conformed on an average of 36.8% of trials. 25% remained independent. About 75% of participants confirmed on at least one trial.
• Qualitative - Some conformed to not spoil results. Others who confirmed did so thinking that the majority were ‘sheep’ following the first stooge.

Question 4

Asch’s Conclusion

Answer 4

• Strong tendency to conform to group pressures even when the answer is clear.
• On 2/3 of trials his participants remained independent showing that people can resist the pressure to conform.

Question 5

Evaluation of Asch’s Study - controlled lab conditions

Answer 5

• Carried out under controlled lab conditions.
• Able to isolate and control the variables that were important so he could establish a cause and effect relationship between the IV and the DV.
• Strength - experiment can be replicated to test for reliability and consistency.

Question 6

Evaluation of Asch’s study - Cultural Differences

Answer 6

• Does not account for cultural differences.
• Smith and Bond - reviewed 31 studies of conformity conducted in different cultures using Asch’s procedure. Concluded that people in collectivist cultures show higher levels of conformity compared to those in individualistic cultures. In Collectivist cultures , people emphasise loyalty to group, group decision making is preferred. In individualistic cultures, more concerned with own and family’s self interest.
• Weakness - sometimes conformity levels may be higher than Asch found. Asch’s findings may only apply to individualistic cultures and therefore culturally bias.

Question 7

Evaluation of Asch’s Study - Ethical Issues

Answer 7

• Deception, lack of informed consent and psychological harm.
• Participants did not know they were being tricked . Deception. Did not know the real purpose of the study. Lack of informed consent ,or that other participants were confederates. They may have behaved differently if they were made away that perception was not being considered.
• Distress - psychological harm - those who conformed must have experienced pressure and distress due to behaving like ‘sheep’. Even those who resisted felt under pressure.
• Weakness - undermines credibility.

Question 8

Evaluation of Asch’s study - sample choice

Answer 8

• Sample was good.
• 123 was a good size and participants were of similar and age and similar backgrounds. Adds realism.
• Strength - sample reflects how we conform in real life. Often we conform to our peer group and they have greatest influence.

Question 9

Asch’s variables - group size

Answer 9

• The size of confederate group varied from one to 15.
• Results showed a clear trend.
• When real participant was confronted with only a single confederate, there was little conformity and they answered independently in nearly all trials.
• When confederates increased to 2, pressure to conform increases and real participant accepted wrong answer and conformed 13.6% of the time.
• When confederates raised to 3, real participants conformed 31.8% of the time.
• However, the size of the majority is important but only up to a certain point.

Question 10

Asch’s Variables - Unanimity

Answer 10

• Disturbance of the majority’s unanimity had a striking effect.
• The naive participant was given the support of a truthful partner, either another real participant or a person instructed to give correct answer.
• Conformity dropped to 5%.

Question 11

Asch’s Variables - Task Difficulty

Answer 11

• When comparison lines were made more similar in length, harder to judge the correct answer and conformity increased.
• More difficult the task the greater the conformity.
• When the difference between the standard line and the comparison like was made very obvious, Asch hoped to reach a point where the incorrect answer given by the stooges would be so obvious that the real participant would answer independently.
• People still conformed to wrong answer.