Variables affecting conformity Flashcards
Who conducted research into variables affecting conformity?
Asch
How many participants were there in Asch’s study?
123
What gender were all of Asch’s participants?
Male
What nationality were all of Asch’s participants?
American
What task were Asch’s participants asked to do?
Verbally state which of 3 comparison lines was the same as a standard line
Per each of Asch’s groups, how many were real participants?
1
Per each of Asch’s groups, what were the majority of ‘participants’?
Confederates
When did the participant always give their answer?
Penultimately
In Asch’s original study, how obvious was the answer?
Fairly obvious
How many trials were there for each of Asch’s groups?
18
How many of Asch’s trials were critical?
12
What was the conformity rate during Asch’s critical trials?
33%
What percentage of Asch’s participants never conformed?
25%
In Asch’s control condition, what percentage of participants gave the wrong answer?
1%
What explanation of conformity can explain Asch’s findings?
NSI
What 3 variables affect conformity?
Group size, taskdifficulty + unanimity
In Asch’s group size variation, what was conformity like when one or two confederates were present?
It was very low
In Asch’s group size variation, what was the rate of conformity when three confederates were present?
It increased to 30%
What happened in Asch’s study when a confederate ally was provided?
Conformity fell to 5.5%
What happened when Asch made the difference in lengths of the comparison lines smaller?
Conformity increased
What are the 4 AO3 points of variables affecting conformity?
1) Lab study
2) McCarthyism
3) Independent behaviour rather than conformity
4) Unconvincing confederates
Give 2 examples of extraneous variables controlled for in Asch’s study.
The lengths of lines and time of assessment was kept the same for all participants
Why did Asch’s task lack mundane realism?
In the real world we tend to see social pressure + conformity in situations such as peer pressure into smoking
What was McCarthyism?
A strong anti-communist period where people were afraid to not conform
What ‘campaign’ may explain why Asch’s participants conformed?
McCarthyism
What type of students was Asch’s study replicated on in the 80s?
British engineering students
In the study that investigated conformity in British engineering students, how many trials were there?
396
In the study that investigated conformity in British engineering students, out of the 396 trials, how many found a conforming response?
1
Due to McCarthyism, what validity do Asch’s findings lack?
Temporal
Why do Asch’s findings tell us more about independent behaviour than conformity?
Because 2/3 never conformed in the criticial trials
What is the main issue with Asch’s confederates?
It would have been difficult for the confederates to convincingly give the obviously incorrect answer
What may the ‘unconvincing confederates’ have led to?
Demand characteristics from the participants
How did one follow up study overcome the problem of unconvincing confederates?
By giving participants polarising glasses - 3 participants had the same filters, whereas 1 had a different filter
