Social influence - studies

Question 1

Asch - Aim

Answer 1

To investigate the degree to which individuals would conform to a majority that gave obviously wrong answers

Question 2

Asch - Procedure

Answer 2

• 123 American student volunteers took part in what they were told was a study of visual perception
• There was 1 participant sat around a table of confederates
• The task was to state what comparison line was the same as the stimulus line
• 12 of the trials were ‘critical’, whereby the confederates were instructed to give an incorrect answer (all confederates gave the same wrong answer)

Question 3

Asch - Findings

Answer 3

• On the 12 critical trials, there was a 32% conformity rate to wrong answers
• 75% of participants conformed to at least 1 wrong answer
• 5% conformed to every possible answer of the 12 trials

Question 4

Zimbardo - Aim

Answer 4

To investigate the extent to which people would conform in a role-play environment

Question 5

Zimbardo - Procedure

Answer 5

• 75 males university students responded to a newspaper AD, offering $15 a day for an experiment
• 21 students were picked (10 guards, 11 prisoners) and were randomly allocated to their roles
• Zimbardo played the role of the super-intendent in the prison
• Prisoners were placed 3 to a cell and was planned to run for 2 weeks, but got cut short
• Prisoners were given uniforms, whilst guards were given uniforms including glasses, hand cuffs and truncheons
• Prisoners were dehumanised, deloused, fingerprinted and stripped

Question 5

Zimbardo - Procedure

Answer 5

• 75 males university students responded to a newspaper AD, offering $15 a day for an experiment
• 21 students were picked (10 guards, 11 prisoners) and were randomly allocated to their roles
• Zimbardo played the role of the super-intendent in the prison
• Prisoners were placed 3 to a cell and was planned to run for 2 weeks, but got cut short
• Prisoners were given uniforms, whilst guards were given uniforms including glasses, hand cuffs and truncheons
• Prisoners were dehumanised, deloused, fingerprinted and stripped

Question 6

Zimbardo - Findings

Answer 6

• 1 prisoner had to be withdrawn after 36 hours due to uncontrollable fits of rage and crying
• The study was stopped after 6 days, and only after Zimbardo was shown the extent of the damage by a visiting psychologist

Question 7

Milgram - Aim

Answer 7

To investigate the limitations individuals go to when instructed by an authority figure in a highly stressful task

Question 8

Milgram - Procedure

Answer 8

• 40 American male students aged between 20-50, were recruited via volunteer sampling and told to go to Yale University
• They were met by ‘Mr Wallace’ who would later be ‘shocked’
• The participants were ‘randomly’ assigned to the role of the teacher
• The participant was shown a 45V shock to prove authenticity
• Every time Mr Wallace got an answer wrong, he was ‘shocked’ - it went up to 450V
• If the participant attempted to leave, he was told one of 4 prods to persuade him to stay

Question 9

Milgram - Findings

Answer 9

• 26 out of 40 participants (65%) went all the way to 450V before stopping
• Every single participant went up to 300V