Aschs experiment

What was the main aim of Asch's baseline procedure?

To see if people would conform to a group's opinion even when the correct answer was obvious and unambiguous.

What is the relationship between group size and conformity, according to Asch?

It's curvilinear. Conformity increases with group size but only up to a point (around 3-4 confederates), after which it levels off.

How did the presence of a dissenter (a non-conforming confederate) affect conformity

It significantly reduced conformity in the genuine participant, even if the dissenter's answer was also wrong. It broke the group's unanimity.

How did increasing the difficulty of the task affect the rate of conformity?

Conformity increased because the situation became more ambiguous, leading participants to look to others for guidance (informational social influence).

What key conclusion did Asch draw about the influence of a majority?

Its power depends largely on it being unanimous. Even one dissenter can dramatically reduce conformity

What type of social influence explains why people conform more on difficult tasks?

Informational Social Influence (ISI) - conforming because you believe the group is correct and you need information.

What is one limitation of Asch's research concerning the situation?

The situation was artificial. Participants may have shown demand characteristics, and the trivial task doesn't reflect real-world scenarios where conformity has consequences.

Why are Asch's findings limited in their application?

The sample was limited to American men. Conformity can be higher in women and in collectivist cultures, so the findings aren't universally applicable.

What research finding supports Asch's conclusion on task difficulty?

Lucas et al. (2006) found people conformed more to incorrect answers on hard maths problems than on easy ones, supporting Asch.

How did Lucas et al.'s study show conformity is more complex than Asch suggested?

They found an individual factor: people with high confidence in their abilities conformed less on hard tasks, which Asch did not investigate.