Asch's Study - Variations Flashcards
What did Asch want to know about group size?
Asch wanted to know whether the size of the group would be more important than the agreement of the group.
How did Asch test the effect of group size on conformity?
He varied the number of confederates from one to 15, resulting in total group sizes from two to 16.
What was the relationship between group size and conformity rate?
Asch found a curvilinear relationship; conformity increased with group size but only up to a point.
What was the conformity rate with three confederates?
Conformity to the wrong answer rose to 31.8%.
What happened to the conformity rate as more confederates were added?
The conformity rate soon leveled off, indicating that just one or two confederates were enough to sway opinion.
What did Asch wonder about the presence of a non-conforming person?
He wondered if it would affect the naive participant’s conformity.
What did the presence of a dissenter do to conformity rates?
The presence of a dissenter decreased the conformity rate to less than a quarter of the level it was when the majority was unanimous.
What does the presence of a dissenter suggest about majority influence?
It suggests that the influence of the majority depends largely on it being unanimous.
What was Asch’s hypothesis regarding task difficulty?
He wanted to know whether making the task harder would affect the degree of conformity.
How did Asch increase the difficulty of the task?
He made the stimulus line and the comparison lines more similar in length.
What was the effect of increased task difficulty on conformity?
Asch found that conformity increased as the task became harder.
Why might conformity increase with task difficulty?
The situation may become more ambiguous, leading participants to look to others for guidance.
