Conformity Research

Question 1

who is the researcher for conformity research ?

Answer 1

sherriff

Question 2

what did sheriff do ?

Answer 2

used optical illusions- auto kinetic effect. p’s required to estimate how far thought light moved. then estimated again. views and estimates changed in a group. individuals conforming to majority view

Question 3

criticism of sherif linking to Asch

Answer 3

no correct answer to autokinteic effect. influenced wealth of further research into conformity- asch

Question 4

asch aim

Answer 4

see whether answers change to majority

Question 5

asch method

Answer 5

7-8 males (1p, 7 conf). 18 trials. 12 critical trials (purposely gave wrong answer). p either 2nd to last or last. repeated measures

Question 6

asch results

Answer 6

conformed as didn’t want to look different- gave wrong answer. 75% conformed at least once.

Question 7

conclusions of asch

Answer 7

normative social influence
compliance

Question 8

what are the factors of conformity ?

Answer 8

1. group size
2. unanimity
3. task difficulty

Question 9

what happens to conformity if group size increases ?

Answer 9

increases! further increases over 3 can lead to a decrease- suspicious !!!

Question 10

what happens to conformity if unanimity increase?

Answer 10

decreases! simply breaking majority enough to reduce conformity. unanimous of 3 more effective than 8

Question 11

what happens to conformity if task difficulty increases?

Answer 11

increases! more familiar with task= less likely to conform. research- more males conform to identifying cooking tools- gender bias, lack temporal validity

Question 12

limitations of asch

Answer 12

• low temporal validity
• low ecological validity
• gender bias
• cultural bias
• ethical issues

Question 13

evaluation of ISI and NSI

Answer 13

L: cognitive dissonance
S: Lucas et al supporting research

Question 14

evaluation of Sherif’s research

Answer 14

S: highly influencial
L: no correct answer to autokinetic effect