Aschs research into factors affecting conformity Flashcards
What was Asch testing?
How often ppt conformed and also gave incorrect answers
What was the procedure of Aschs study?
1951
-tested conformity in an unambiguous (obvious) situation
-123 men tested with 5 confederates
-after 3 trials confederates gave false answers
What were the results of Aschs study?
-ppts conformed 36.8% of the time
-75% of ppt conformed at least once
To ensure the line test wasnt difficult, asch conducted a trial with no confederates. he found people only made mistakes 1% of the time
What explanation of conformity could explain these findings? why?
Normative social influence because the task is obvious so the ppt is sure of the answers therefore they’re not looking for ISI
What were the 3 variations of Aschs research?
group size
unanimity
task difficulty
What relationship did Asch find between group size and conformity? what does this mean?
(add statistics)
-he found a curvilinear relationship between group size and conformity
-conformity rates were low with 1-2 confederated but jumped to 31.8% when there were 3 confederates
-therefore with 3 confederates a group norm was formed
What explanation best explains rates of conformity here? why?
NSI because the group conform when a group norm is formed therefore they want to be liked by the majority of the group
How did Asch investigate unanimity as a variable?
he did an investigation to see if the presence of a dissenter (someone who doesnt say same as confederate) would reduce conformity rates
What did Asch find when he investigated unanimity?
he found that conformity decreased by 75% regardless of whether the dissenter was giving the correct answer to the rest of the confederate
What explanation best explains rates of conformity in unanimity? why?
normative social influence because when there is less consistency in how to answer there is less of a group normative established. This means there is less pressure to conform and to be liked
How did Asch investigate task difficulty as a variable and what did he find?
he increased the difficulty of the task by making the difference between the lines smaller and conformity slightly increased
What explanation best explains rates of conformity here? why?
ISI can explain conformity as when we are unsure we look to others for the right answers
What are 3 limitations of Aschs study?
-conducted in a lab
-limited sample
-ethical issues
Why is it a limitation that Aschs research was conducted using a lab study?
There will be low external validity so the results cannot be applied to real life. It was also conducted in an artificial situation so it doesnt resemble every day life
What is a counterpoint to the limitation that Aschs study was conducted in a lab?
The study will have high internal validity therefore Asch will have high level of control which reduces extraneous variables such as weather. It also ensures that Asch is studying what he intends to and he can see how the Iv affects the DV
how can we criticise the sample? Why is this an important limitation of Asch’s research into conformity?
All men and all American
-Jenesses jelly bean suggests that women are more likely to conform than men are- not representative of the target population
-Bond Smith found conformity is higher in China as they are a collectivist culture unlike America who are individualist
define the difference between a Collectivist and an individualist culture
Collectivist- a person brought up to think what will be best outcome for the group
individualist- a person brought up prioritise themself as an individual
What are the potential ethical issues of this study? why is this problematic?
Asch deceived ppt which could’ve caused them psychological harm which may impact psychologists reputation
What is a counterpoint to the limitation of ethical issues?
A cost-benefit analysis, its worth the embarrassment short term for the impact of this knowledge
What is the strength of Aschs study?
Lucas et al found that ppt conform more to hard vs easy maths questions
how did Lucas’ research both support and refute Aschs findings in conformity?
It supports Aschs task difficulty variation and informational social influence as an explanation of conformity. It increases the validity of Aschs research into conformity
What is a counterpoint to the strength of Lucas et als research?
They also found that confidence in maths ability played a large role in conformity- this shows that Aschs study was more complex than he thought
What research did Perrin and Spencer conduct? How did it show that Asch’s findings might be a child of its time? what does this actually mean?
