SI (asch’s line study) Flashcards
What was the aim of asch’s line study?
To investigate how people respond to group pressure using an unambiguous test to find out if people would change their answer based on other ppts influence.
How many ppts were there?
123 male American students and the rest were confederates.
What was the method of asch’s line study?
- groups of 6-8 people : 1 naive ppt, rest were confederates.
- semi-circle layout: naive ppt always sat towards the end.
- shown 2 large cards: a standard line and 3 comparison lines.
- 18 trials: the question asked was “which is the correct comparison line?”
- 12/18 were ‘critical trials’ - 6 correct answer given, 12 trials incorrect answer given.
What were the findings?
- 36.8% gave a wrong answer to fit in.
-25% never gave a wrong answer.
-75% conformed on atleast on trial.
What affects conformity?
- Unanimity of majority (everyone agrees) - when there is a dissenter.
- difficulty of task
- group size of majority
What was the conformity level in presence of a dissenter?
It dropped from 32% to 5.5%
What affect does difficulty of task has on conformity?
When the correct answer is less obvious, the level of conformity is increased.
What affects does group size has on conformity?
When the group size is increased the conformity also increases.
What is a limitation of Asch’s line study?
Artificial methodology is used therefore cannot be applied to real life.
- as ppts were asked to judge line lengths, which is not something they would do everyday.
- their answers had no ‘tragic’ consequences of conforming, unlike real life scenarios.
- therefore, the validity of this study is low because we cannot apply this to real life.
What are the evaluations of asch’s line study?
Ethnocentric
Artificial methodology
Androcentric
