Asch Study

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

Investigate to what extent ppl will conform to the majority opinion even when it appears obviously incorrect

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

• 50 America male college student as ppts
• seated among 1 of 7 young men
• unknown to ppts that the rest of the men where confederates
• shown a pair of cards 1 had a target line the other had 3 lines of differing length
• ppts had to say which of the 3 lines matched exactly with target line
• correct answer obvious
• confederates breifed on what answers to give
• 18 trails, 6 times confederates gave correct answer and 12 times gave the wrong answer these where known as the critical trials
• answers given out loud and real ppts always answered last
• post experimental interview conducted

Question 3

Findings

Answer 3

• average level of conformity 32%
• no ppts conformed ever time
• 74% ppts conformed at least once

Question 4

3 levels of conformity found in post experiment interviews

Answer 4

• some ppts who confirmed said their perception must be inaccurate so yielded to the majority =ISI
• most ppts who conformed said they didn’t want to be the minority = NSI
• small number of ppts thought they where generally correct and weren’t influenced

Question 5

Conclusion

Answer 5

• even when correct answer are not clear the majority can have a huge impact on individual
• majority doesn’t have the same impact on every individual

Question 6

Limitations

Answer 6

-Mori and Arai (2010) argue that Asch’s study lacked ecological validity and may not tell us anything at all about real-life situations of conformity. This is because the judgement task was artificial and unlike real life (lacks mundane realism).

• lacks population validity: sample not representative
• gender bias - alpha bias uses only men and assumes it affects women the same
• Asch’s study has been criticised for a lack of historical validity as it took place in a period of US history when conformity would have been particularly high due to the political situation. In their meta-analysis, Smith and Bond found a negative correlation between date of study and levels of conformity. Earlier studies, such as Asch, showed higher levels of conformity. Whereas later studies showed lower levels.

Question 7

Counter evidence

Answer 7

• A meta-analysis of studies of conformity (Smith and Bond 1998) found that conformity levels were significantly higher in collectivist cultures (where interdependence is highly valued) than in individualist cultures (where independence is more highly valued). This suggests that conformity levels are not the same across all cultures as assumed by Asch.