Evaluating: Asch (1956)

Question 1

Bond (2005)

- the effect of group size

Answer 1

studies have only a limited range of majority sizes due to accepting Asch’s conclusion of a majority size of 3 and so we know little about the effect of larger majority sizes

Question 2

Smith et al. (2006) and Markus and Kitayama (1991)

Answer 2

analysed Asch like studies in different cultures and found that collectivist cultures had higher conformity rates than individualist cultures and so it was suggested that collectivist cultures saw conformity as a form of ‘social glue’

Question 3

Perrin and Spencer (1980)

- child of its time

Answer 3

repeated Asch’s study with science students and conformity was 0 out of 396 trial but with youths on probation and their probation officer, conformity was higher and so concluded that conformity is more likely if the perceived costs of non conformity are higher