SI- Asch's study- strengths and weaknesses

What is one strength of Asch's study in terms of internal validity?

The study had high internal validity due to strict control over extraneous variables (e.g. task type, timing).Participants completed a control trial without confederates, ruling out lack of knowledge as a confounding variable.

✅ This means valid cause-and-effect conclusions can be drawn.

Why is Asch's study considered reliable?

It was a lab experiment, so extraneous and confounding variables were controlled.This makes the study replicable, and successful replications increase the reliability of the findings.

What ethical issue was present in Asch's study, and how was it addressed?

Participants were deceived about the true aim (believing it was a perception study), so they couldn't give informed consent.However, they were debriefed afterward.

⚠️ Ethical issues don't threaten validity but require cost-benefit analysis.

How does Asch's study support normative social influence?

Many participants conformed to fit in with the group, despite privately disagreeing.This supports normative social influence (NSI), where people conform to avoid social rejection or embarrassment

What is a major weakness of Asch's study regarding ecological validity?

The task (line judgment) was artificial and simple, not reflecting real-life social conformity, which involves more complex situations.

📉 This means the findings lack ecological validity and can't be fully generalised.

Why does Asch's study lack population validity?

The sample was made up of American male undergraduates.

This introduces gender bias (beta bias) and cultural bias, limiting generalisability to females and other cultures.

What ethical concerns exist about deception and harm in Asch's study?

Participants were deceived and couldn't give informed consent.

There was potential for psychological harm or embarrassment upon learning the true aim.

➡️ These issues don't reduce validity, but do require an ethical cost-benefit analysis.

Why might Asch's findings lack temporal validity?

The study was conducted in the 1950s, during an anti-Communist era (McCarthyism) in the US, where people feared standing out.

📉 Perrin and Spencer found lower conformity rates in later decades, suggesting the original findings lack temporal validity and can't be generalised across time periods.