asch’s research

Question 1

What variables affect conformity according to Asch?

Answer 1

Group size, unanimity, task difficulty

These variables were investigated by Solomon Asch to understand conformity better.

Question 2

What is the Asch effect?

Answer 2

The extent to which participants conform even when the situation is unambiguous

This term describes the phenomenon observed in Asch’s studies.

Question 3

How does group size affect conformity?

Answer 3

Conformity increases with group size, but only up to a point, leveling off when the majority is greater than three

Asch found that with three confederates, conformity rose significantly.

Question 4

What is meant by ‘unanimity’ in the context of Asch’s studies?

Answer 4

The extent to which all members of a group agree

Unanimity produced the greatest degree of conformity among naive participants.

Question 5

How does task difficulty influence conformity?

Answer 5

Conformity increases as task difficulty increases

This occurs because naive participants assume that the majority is more likely to be right.

Question 6

What was the procedure used in Asch’s conformity studies?

Answer 6

Participants were shown two cards: one with a standard line and another with three comparison lines

Participants had to identify which comparison line matched the standard line.

Question 7

How many trials did each participant take part in during Asch’s study?

Answer 7

18 trials

Out of these, 12 were ‘critical trials’ where confederates gave the wrong answer.

Question 8

What percentage of naive participants conformed at least once in Asch’s study?

Answer 8

75%

This statistic highlights the significant influence of group pressure on individual responses.

Question 9

What effect did the presence of a dissenting confederate have on conformity?

Answer 9

Conformity was reduced by a quarter

This suggests that having a dissenting opinion allows naive participants to behave more independently.

Question 10

Fill in the blank: The naive participant gave a wrong answer ______% of the time.

Answer 10

36.8

This statistic reflects the level of conformity observed in the study.

Question 11

What type of social influence did most participants report conforming to avoid?

Answer 11

Normative social influence

Participants conformed to fit in and avoid rejection from the group.

Question 12

What happens to conformity when the line-judging task becomes more difficult?

Answer 12

Conformity increases

This is due to the ambiguity of the task leading individuals to look to others for guidance.

Question 13

What was the main finding of Perrin and Spencer (1980) when they repeated Asch’s study?

Answer 13

Only one student conformed in a total of 396 trials

This suggests that the level of conformity may vary depending on the context and the participants involved.

Question 14

What are demand characteristics in the context of Asch’s study?

Answer 14

Participants knew they were in a research study and may have conformed to the expectations of the situation

This can lead to behavior that may not reflect true conformity in natural settings.

Question 15

According to Fiske (2014), how did Asch’s groups compare to real-life groups?

Answer 15

‘Asch’s groups were not very groupy’

This indicates that the artificial nature of the groups in the study limits the generalizability of the findings.

Question 16

What limitation does the gender of participants in Asch’s study present?

Answer 16

Only men were tested, and other research suggests that women might be more conformist

This means Asch’s findings may not be applicable to women or to gender differences in conformity.

Question 17

How do collectivist cultures compare to individualist cultures regarding conformity?

Answer 17

Conformity rates are higher in collectivist cultures

This suggests that cultural context significantly influences conformity behavior.

Question 18

What did Williams and Sogon (1984) find regarding conformity in groups of friends versus strangers?

Answer 18

Conformity was actually higher when the majority of the group were friends

This indicates that social dynamics can affect conformity levels differently depending on the nature of the relationships within the group.

Question 19

What ethical issue arose from the deception of participants in Asch’s study?

Answer 19

Participants believed that confederates were genuine participants

This raises concerns about the morality of deceiving participants in psychological research.

Question 20

Why might the findings of Asch’s study only apply to certain situations?

Answer 20

Participants answered out loud and were with a group of strangers they wanted to impress

This suggests that situational factors heavily influence conformity, indicating a limitation in the study’s applicability.

Question 21

Fill in the blank: Asch’s research is criticized for being conducted during a time when society was _______.

Answer 21

especially conformist

This temporal context may have influenced the level of conformity observed in the study.

Question 22

True or False: Asch’s findings can be generalized across all cultures.

Answer 22

False

The study primarily involved American men, and findings may not be applicable to other genders or cultures.

Question 23

What is one potential benefit of Asch’s study despite its ethical issues?

Answer 23

It provided valuable insights into social conformity and group dynamics

Such insights can inform understanding of social behavior in various contexts.