Conformity Asch's Research

Question 1

Asch Vaseline study

Procedure

Findings

Conclusion

Answer 1

P- line length task, 123 American students, confederates have wrong answers

F- naïve participants conformed 36.8% of the time, 75% at least once.

C- most participants conformed to avoid rejection (NSI)

Question 2

Variables affecting conformity

Answer 2

Group size

Unanimity

Task difficulty

Question 3

Group size

Answer 3

Three confederates 31.8% conformity, more made little difference

Question 4

Unanimity

Answer 4

Presence of dissenter reduced conformity to 5.5%

Question 5

Dissent

Answer 5

The holding or expression of opinion variance with those not commonly held.

Question 6

Task difficulty

Answer 6

Conformity increased with harder task, showing ISI

Question 7

Asch study child of its time

Results

Why didn’t work?

Limitation to ash research why?

Answer 7

• Perrin and spencer

Later study, no conformity, engineering UK student

1950s especially conformist time.. made sense to conform to establish social norms

Not consistent across time and situations = not fundamental feature

Question 8

Artificial situation and task

Answer 8

Trivial and not real group so not generalisable

Trivial- of little value or importance

Question 9

Limited application of findings

Answer 9

More conformity in collectivist cultures (bond and Smith) like China

Question 10

Only applies to some situations

Answer 10

More conformity in groups of friends (Williams and Sogon)

Question 11

Ethical issues

Answer 11

Eg participants were deceived (but weigh up against benefits)