variables affecting conformity (Asch's study) Flashcards
State the group of participants which took part in Asch’s study
123 male American students, in groups of 6. There was 1 ‘genuine’ participate and 5 confederates
State the aim of Asch’s study
To investigate conformity and majority influence
What was the procedure within Asch’s study
P’s were presented with 4 lines; 1 standard line and 3 comparison lines
They were asked to state which of the 3 comparison lines was the same as the standard, ‘real’ p always answered last.
Confederates would give an incorrect answer for 12/18 trials
What did Asch observe within this procedure?
he observed how often the real participant would give the same incorrect answer as the confederates compared to the correct answer
What % of people conformed in Asch’s study
36.8%
What % of p’s never conformed
25%
What % of p’s conformed atleast once within Asch’s study
75%
In a control trial, 1% of responses p’s gave were incorrect, what doe this eliminate
Eyesight/perception as an extraneous variable, increasing validity of findings
State 1 strength of Asch’s investigation
High internal validity due to strict control over extraneous variables, p’s completed task before to see if they knew the answer, eliminating lack of knowledge as a cv.
Increases validity and reliability as cause and effect can be established
State 1 strength of Asch’s investigation
Lab experiment, extraneous and confounding variables tightly controlled, meaning investigation can be easily replicated, increasing reliability of study
State 1 strength of Asch’s investigation
Supports normative social influence, p’s reported they conformed to fit in with the group
State 1 weakness of asch’s research
Lacks ecological validity, based on perception and therefore cant be generalised as it doesn’t reflect real l9ife conformity
State 1 weakness of Asch’s research
Lacks population validity, due to sampling issues. Study subject to gender bias due to only american males being investigated, and assumes findings can be generalised to females
State 1 weakness of Asch’s study
Ethical issues
What were some of the ethical issues within Asch’s study
Deception, p’s didnt know full aims and therefor could not give fully informed consent
Psychological harm due to embarrassment
One factor affecting level of conformity is group size, is an individual more or less likely to conform in a larger group
an individual is MORE likely to conform when in a larger group
What is the evidence for group size affecting conformity level
There was low conformity in a group size of confederates less than 3, conformity rose by 30% when group size increased
Why are people more likely to conform in a larger group?
a person is more likely to conform If all members of a group are in agreement and give the same answer, as it will increase their confidence in the correctness of the group, and decrease the confidence of their own answer
What is considered optimal group size and why
4, as conformity does not seem to increase in groups more than 4
State the link
