Variables affecting conformity

Asch study 1951

Devised a procedure to asses to what extent people conform even when the answer is certain.

Group size

Increasing the size of the group by adding more confederates and increasing the size of the majority.

Conformity increased with group size.

Task difficulty

It is more difficult when it becomes harder to work out the correct answer.

Conformity increases because naïve participants assume that the majority is right

Unanimity

The extent to which all the members of a group agree. The majority was unanimous when all the confederates selected the same line. Produced the greatest degree of conformity in the naïve participants

Asch study procedure

123 American men tested with each one in a group with other apparent participants

2 large cards. 1 card had 1 line and the other with 3 lines. Participants had to say which of the 3 lines matched the line on the other card.

Tested in groups of 6 to 8. Only 1 participant was real and the others were confederates.

Asch findings

Participants agreed with confederates around 37% of the time.

75% conformed at least once in the study

W Ethical issues

Participants were deceived because they thought the confederates were also participants like themselves

They thought it was a study on visual judgement rather than conformity.

Lack of informed consent and no right to withdraw

W Limited application

Only American men. America is an individualist culture.

Results may be different for women or for collectivist countries.

Asch tells us little about conformity.

S Unanimity

Support from Asch’s variations

When a dissenter was introduced, conformity dropped from 37% to 5.5%.

Removes fear of rejection and gives social support.

Increases validity

W Task difficulty

Artificial situation

No real-world meaning to participants for matching lines.

Conformity really happens in important situations e.g. juries where there are consequences.

Low ecological validity - Hard to generalise.

W Group size

Demand characteristics

Conformity flattens after 5 confederates.

Majorities larger than this look unnatural and sparks suspicion in participants.

Asch may have measured suspicion rather than group size. Lower internal validity

S Wijenayake

Online quiz. Subjects were shown made-up results and were offered to change their answers.

78% conformed and changed their answers. Similar to Asch’s 75%.

Confirms Asch’s original findings