Conformity and Asch's Research

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the types and explanations of conformity, variables affecting conformity, methodology, findings, strengths, and limitations of Asch's line-judgment study.

Internalisation

Adopting the majority view because it is accepted as correct, resulting in a permanent change.

Compliance

Superficially agreeing with the majority, resulting in a temporary change.

Informational Social Influence (ISI)

An explanation of conformity where people adopt the majority view because they believe it is correct, which can lead to internalisation.

Normative Social Influence (NSI)

An explanation of conformity where people adopt the majority view to gain social acceptance, which can lead to compliance.

Group size (Asch's research)

A variable affecting conformity; conformity rose to $32\%$ when three confederates gave the wrong answer. The largest increase occurred from one to three confederates, after which adding further confederates had little effect.

Unanimity (Asch's research)

A variable affecting conformity; the presence of a dissenting confederate who disagreed with the other confederates provided social support to the participant, causing conformity to fall to $25\%$.

Task difficulty (Asch's research)

A variable affecting conformity; conformity increased when the lines were closer in length, as ambiguous situations make people more likely to rely on others' judgments.

Participants of Asch's line-judgment study

$123$ male American student volunteers, each paid £$3$.

Procedure of Asch's line-judgment study

Participants were tested in groups of $7$ to $9$ containing one real participant and confederates. They viewed two cards (one with a standard line and one with three comparison lines) and stated aloud which comparison line matched the standard.

Control condition (Asch's line-judgment study)

The baseline condition in which confederates gave the correct answers, resulting in participants answering correctly $98\%$ of the time.

Conformity rates in Asch's experimental condition

Participants answered correctly $68\%$ of the time; $24\%$ of participants never conformed, $75\%$ conformed at least once, and $5\%$ conformed on every trial.

Internal validity in Asch's research

A methodological strength of Asch's research resulting from a standardised procedure and control of extraneous variables, which helped ensure changes in conformity were due to experimental conditions.

Evidence for NSI in Asch's research

Post-experiment interviews indicating that participants knew the correct answer but conformed to fit in.

Population validity limitation (Asch's research)

A limitation stemming from a sample consisting exclusively of male American students, meaning the findings may not generalise to other populations.

Ecological validity limitation (Asch's research)

A limitation caused by the artificial nature of the task, as judging line lengths is not an everyday task.

Ethical concerns in Asch's research

Issues involving participant stress and deception, where participants were misled into believing the study was a vision test (a measure considered necessary to reduce demand characteristics).