social Flashcards
what is conformity?
a change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure
what does conformity show?
shows people will go along with others to fit into the group norm and going along with ones fears
when was the Jenness study?
1932
what did Jenness do in her study?
106 participants in groups of 3 , showed group a jar of jellybeans and asked “how many do you think is in there?” and to write it down.
what happened when Jenness interviewed them individually?
the participants results got closer
what did this show?
shows social influence has the ability to change thoughts to fit in
what was a problem with the study?
it was unclear to see if they changed their thoughts or if it influenced
when was the Asch study?
1951
what did Asch want to find out?
if people would confirm even if people would conform even if it was an unambiguous answer
what did Asch do in his study?
-asked 123 male college students a simple matching task
- had to say which one of the lines matched the alternative line
what were the groups tested in?
-small groups and there was only one real (naïve) participants and the rest were confederates
-real sat at end of line
what did the confederates do?
gave the wrong answer for the 12 out of 18 matching tasks to see how the real participant would respond
what were the findings of the Asch study?
-average conformity rate of 37%
-on average 74% of participants conformed at least one
-26% of participants didn’t conform
what was the conclusion of the Asch study?
participants are most likely to conform even to a simple task, when interviewed individually they changed answer to avoid public disapproval
what are the strengths of the Asch study?
- controlled study
- debriefed participants
-standardised
-consent given
what are the weaknesses of the Asch study?
- methodological: could still be biased as it isn’t representative (only uses male college students)
-ethical: could leave the participant under distress and anxiety levels increase
what is one factor that affects conformity?
-GROUP SIZE
what happens when real participant is sat with ONE confederate?
conformity rate decreases from 37%
what happens when real participant is sat with TWO confederates?
conformity rate decreases from 37% to 14%
what happens when the real participants is sat with THREE confederates?
conformity rate increase up from 37%
what is the conclusion of group size?
the more confederates the more likely to conform
what is another factor that affects conformity?
UNANIMITY (support in the group)
what does unanimity show?
when another group member gives a different answer from the rest the conformity rate decreases to 5%
what is the conclusion of unanimity?
participant would less likely to conform as they have a similar answer
what is the third factor that affects conformity?
task difficulty
what does task difficulty?
when the task is difficult or unfamiliar the conformity rate increases
what is the conclusion of task difficulty?
participant may fear getting answer wrong so they conform out of fear
what was Aschs study criticised for?
use of confederates who may have not behaved in a natural manner
what was the problem with confederates?
some may be better acting than others
who researched if Asch’s study?
Mori and Arai
what was Mori and Arai’s technique?
MORI technique
(manipulation of overlapping rivalrous images by polarising filters)
what did Mori and Arai use?
used filter glasses so participants can view the same display yet see different things
what did Mori and Arai do in their study?
-replicated Aschs line comparison with 104 participants in groups of 4 at a time
- three participants wore identical glasses with one wearing a different set
what was an advantage of Mori and Arai’s study?
majority were no longer confederates and giving genuine judgements about comparison
why did the minority always go to third?
to understand the factors which made conformity high or low
what did they find for women only in the experiment?
new findings matched original research with minority participant influenced by majority on average of 4.41 to me out of 12
what did they find fir males in the experiment?
males were not affected by majority view and conformity rates were very low
what was a factor to why the men didn’t conform?
cultural differences and generational changes
what is the argument against the study?
the participants knew each other
what was said to base on the facts of the study?
“conforming behaviour among acquaintance is more important as a psychological research topic among strangers”
what is thought where conforming takes place?
among family and friends
what do Mori and Arai believe?
their approach will provide a useful meaning of Asch’s work where use of confederates would not be practical
what are the differences between Asch and Mori & Arai’s study?
-Mori and Arai used a diverse group of men and women, more representative
- The participants knew each other in Mori and Arai’s study
-Participants knew they were going to be tested
what are the evaluation issues in Mori and Arai’s study?
-they are still not protected from unnecessary stress
-participants most likely to conform if they know each other
