Asch's Study Flashcards
What was the purpose of the study involving American men?
To test conformity by having participants identify which comparison line matched the standard line X.
How many American men participated in the study?
123 American men.
What was the physical arrangement of the participants during the study?
Participants were tested in groups of 6 to 8, with only one genuine participant among confederates.
What role did confederates play in the study?
Confederates provided scripted incorrect answers to influence the genuine participant.
What percentage of the time did genuine participants conform to confederates’ incorrect answers?
On average, genuine participants conformed 36.8% of the time.
Were there individual differences in conformity among participants?
Yes, 25% of participants never gave a wrong answer and did not conform.
What is a limitation of Asch’s research?
The task and situation were artificial.
Participants knew they were in a research study and may have gone along with what was expected (demand characteristics).
Why was the task of identifying lines considered trivial?
There was really no reason not to conform.
The simplicity of the task may have influenced participants’ decisions to conform.
What did Susan Fiske (2014) say about Asch’s groups?
They were not very ‘groupy’ and did not resemble everyday groups.
This affects the generalizability of the findings to real-world situations.
What is the implication of Asch’s findings on real-world situations?
The findings do not generalize to situations where the consequences of conformity might be important.
What is a limitation of Asch’s study?
Asch’s participants were American men.
This limits the generalizability of the findings.
How might women differ in terms of conformity?
Research suggests that women may be more conformist due to concerns about social relationships and acceptance.
(Neto 1995)
What type of culture is the US considered?
The US is considered an individualist culture.
How do conformity rates in collectivist cultures compare to those in individualist cultures?
Conformity rates are higher in collectivist cultures.
What does Asch’s study tell us about conformity in women and other cultures?
Asch’s findings tell us little about conformity in women and people from some cultures.
What is one strength of Asch’s research?
Support from other studies for the effects of task difficulty.
What did Todd Lucas et al. (2006) study?
They asked participants to solve ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ maths problems, where participants conformed more often with harder problems.
What does Lucas et al.’s study suggest about task difficulty and conformity?
It shows that task difficulty is a variable that affects conformity.
What counterpoint did Lucas et al.’s study reveal about conformity?
Conformity is more complex than Asch suggested; participants with high confidence conformed less on hard tasks than those with low confidence.
What individual-level factor can influence conformity?
An individual’s confidence in their abilities can interact with situational variables like task difficulty.
What aspect did Asch not research according to the findings of Lucas et al.?
Asch did not research the roles of individual factors in conformity.
What is conformity?
A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
