Asch’s research Flashcards
What was the aim of the study?
To test to what extent people will conform to the opinion of others even in a situation where the correct answer is obvious.
What method was used in the study?
Laboratory experiment.
What was the procedure of the study?
123 American male students were deceived by Asch and told to take part in a perception test about the lengths of different lines. Participants were put in a group with confederates to test if they conformed in a situation with a clear answer. There was only one participant per group.
What were the results of the study?
Group size: when two confederates were in the group, participants conformed 13.6% to the wrong answer. As the number of confederates increased, conformity within the group also increased.
Broken unanimity: when the participant had the support of a truthful ally, conformity within the group dropped to 5% .
Task difficulty: as the task became more difficult, conformity within the group increased.
What is the conclusion of the study?
There’s a strong tendency to conform to group pressure in a situation even when the answer is clear.
