Conformity: Asch's Study and Variables

Question 1

How many men tested in Asch’s study?

Answer 1

123

Question 2

What country were the men in Asch’s study from?

Answer 2

America

Question 3

What was the aim of Asch’s study?

Answer 3

To assess the extent to which PPTs conform to.

Question 4

What type of experiment did Asch use?

Answer 4

Lab

Question 5

PPTs in Asch’s study saw 2 large white cards. Describe what was shown on both of these cards.

Answer 5

The first card had a line labelled X. This was the standard line.
The second card had 3 lines of different lengths labelled A B C.

Question 6

What did PPTs in Asch’s study have to do when shown the cards?

Answer 6

They had to say which line of A B or C matched X

Question 7

How many real PPTs were used in the study?

Answer 7

1 or 2

Question 8

How many confederates were used in the study?

Answer 8

6 or 7

Question 9

Describe the seating arrangement of PPTs in Asch’s study.

Answer 9

Naive PPTs seated last or 2nd last to see whether they would conform to the confederates incorrect answers.

Question 10

What percentage of PPTs conformed to the confederates incorrect answers?

Answer 10

36.8%

Question 11

What percentage of PPTs never conformed in Asch’s study?

Answer 11

25%

Question 12

What percentage of PPTs conformed at least once in Asch’s study?

Answer 12

75%

Question 13

Name the 3 variables Asch investigated.

Answer 13

Group size
Task difficulty
Unanimity

Question 14

Describe how Asch investigated the effects of group size on conformity.

Answer 14

He changed the group size to contain 1-15 PPTs.

Question 15

Name the relationship Asch found between group size and conformity.
Explain what this means.

Answer 15

Curvilinear relationship. Conformity increased with group size up to a point, but after this, increased number of PPTs had no effect on conformity. This is because PPTs could have realised that it was impossible for so many people to get it wrong.

Question 16

Conformity increased with group size of up to…
What percentage of PPTs conformed?

Answer 16

3 people.
Conformity was at 31.8%

Question 17

Explain the task difficulty variable.

Answer 17

Asch increased the similarity of the length of the lines to see whether conformity would change as tasks got harder.

Question 18

Explain the effect task difficulty had on conformity.
Which explanation of conformity links to this?

Answer 18

Conformity increased as the task got harder. This is because of ISI, as the situation becomes more ambiguous.

Question 19

Explain the unanimity variable.

Answer 19

Asch introduced a confederate who disagreed with other PPTs.

Question 20

Explain the influence breaking unanimity had on conformity.

Answer 20

If unanimity is broken, this frees the PPT to give the correct answer as they feel as if they are less likely to be judged.

Question 21

What is the DV in Asch’s study?

Answer 21

Rate of conformity.

Question 22

Explain the strength of Asch’s research increasing our knowledge of why people conform, despite ethical issues.
What ethical issues are present in Asch’s study?

Answer 22

Naïve participants were deceived because they believed the other participants were genuinely giving incorrect answers. However, this ethical cost can be weighed against the benefits of the study. This means that although the study has ethical issues, the cost of them undermines the benefit of understanding why people conform.

Question 23

Explain the strength that there is research support to back up Asch’s findings.
In Lucas’s study, when did PPTs conform to the confederates incorrect answers to maths problems?
Explain the PPT differences in Lucas’s study that could influence the findings for increased task difficulty.

Answer 23

For example, when Lucas asked participants to solve easy/hard maths problems, participants conformed to the incorrect answers given by confederates when problems were harder. Task difficulty was also influenced by participant differences, for example, those better at maths didn’t conform as much as those with less
confidence, irrespective of task difficulty. Therefore, it’s clear that variables like task difficulty affect conformity, which is consistent
with Asch’s findings.

Question 24

Explain the limitation of the sample used in Asch’s study.
What gender were Asch’s PPTs and where were they from?
What type of culture is the country where the PPTs are from?
Name the researchers who said conformity increases when females are used.
Name the researchers who said conformity increases when people from collectivist cultures are used.
What is the percentage for conformity rates in individualist and collectivist cultures?
Therefore, what 2 types of validity does his research lack?

Answer 24

Asch recruited 123 males, making the research androcentric. Participants were American, from an individualist culture. Other research findings suggest conformity increases when females are
used (Eagly and Carli) and people from collectivist cultures are used (Smith and Bond). Conformity rates for people from individualist cultures are lower at 25%, whereas rates for people from collectivist cultures are higher at 37%. The findings can’t be generalised to other groups therefore research lacks population and
cultural validity.

Question 25

Explain the limitation of Asch’s study being artificial.
Why might PPTs have displayed demand characteristics?
Why did PPTs have no reason not to conform?
Why can’t we generalise his findings?
What 2 types of validity did his study lack?

Answer 25

Participants knew they were in a research study and may have
displayed demand characteristics. The task was trivial, meaning
that it people had no reason not to conform. According to Susan
Fishe, Asch’s study didn’t resemble everyday life experience. This
means that findings don’t generalise to the real world, especially to
those where the consequences of conformity might be important.
This means that the research lacks ecological validity and mundane
realism.