SI- 2 Asch (1951)

What was the aim of Asch (1951) experiment?

Asch (1951) aim was to investigate whether people would conform to a majority in an unambiguous situation.

What was the basic procedure of Asch’s study?

• Participants placed in groups with confederates

• Shown a standard line and 3 comparison lines

• Asked to say which line matched

• Confederates gave wrong answers on certain trials

What was Asch (1951) sample?

Asch used 123 Male college students

How many confederates where there in asch (1951) experiment?

7 confederates

How many genuine participants were there in Asch (1951) experiment?

1 genuine participant

In what position did the genuine participant give his answer in Asch (1951) experiment?

The genuine participants gave his answers last but one

In how many trials did confederates gave the unanimous wrong answer in Asch (1951) experiment?

12 out of 18 trials

In how many critical trials did participants conform in Asch (1951) experiment?

32% of critical trials

what percentage of participants conformed at least once in Asch (1951) experiment?

74%

What reason did participants give on why they performed in the post experimental interview in Asch (1951) experiment?

Participants said they performed to fit with the group (NSI)

How many participants conformed in a control group where there was no pressure to conform to confederates in Asch (1951) experiment?

<1%

What was the conclusion of Asch (1951) experiment?

Asch conclusion was that even in ambiguous situations, there still may be strong group pressure to conform, and specially if they group is a unanimous majority

What was the conformity rate in Asch variation of 1 confederate?

Participants conformed in 3% of critical trials

What was the conformity rate in Asch variation of 2 confederates?

Participants conformed in 13% of critical trials

What was the conformity rate in Asch variation of 3 confederates?

Participants conformed in 32% of critical trials

What was the finding of Asch variation of 3 confederates in regards of conformity rate?

Three confederates is the same percentage of Asch original study with 7 confederates

What happens to the rate of conformity in Asch variation where one confederate was instructed to give the right answer?

Rate of conformity dropped to 5%

What does the rate of conformity dropping to 5% when unanimity was broken in Asch variation show?

Rate of conformity dropping demonstrates that participants are more likely to conform with support

What happened to the rate of conformity in Asch variation where one confederate was instructed to give the incorrect answer that was different to majority?

Rate of conformity dropped to 9%

How did Asch make the task difficulty higher in his variation?

By making the line lengths significantly smaller

What happened to rate of conformity in Asch variation where he made the task more difficult?

The rate of conformity increased

Why might the rate of conformity increase in Asch variation where he made the task more difficult?

Rate of conformity might have increased due to informational social influence, since individuals looked at others for guidance when completing the task.

Who did Perrin and Spencer (1980) study use?

Engineering students

Who was Perrin and Spender (1980) experiment a replication of?

Asch (1951) line comparison

What was the findings of conformity in Perrin and Spencer (1980) study?

The engineering student conformed in 1/396 trials

What does Perrin and Spencer (1980) study suggest about Asch findings

It suggests that Asch effect was a ‘child of its time’ and its not consistent across situations or time, therefore may not be a fundamental feature of human behaviour

What proof shows that Asch’s conclusion may be culturally biased?

A cross cultural studies into conformity has shown higher level of conformity in countries such as Japan and china, which are collectivistic cultures

What kind of cultures do china and Japan have?

A collectivistic culture

What are features of collectivistic cultures?

• emphasis is placed on behaviour that will benefit the larger group rather than the individual

• ‘Selfish’ behaviour is significantly frowned upon

What kind of cultures is the US culture, where Asch (1951) experiment was conducted?

A individualistic culture where people are more concerned with themselves

Why is Asch’s conclusion being culturally biased a limitation?

It may be culturally biased because Solomon Asch conducted his study in 1950s America, an individualist culture. Conformity levels may differ in collectivist cultures, so the findings cannot be generalised to all societies.

Why is participants being too similar in identity/background a limitation in Asch’s study?

Because Asch used mainly American male students, the sample lacks diversity. This reduces population validity, as the findings cannot be generalised to females, other age groups, or different social/cultural backgrounds.

Why is the participants knowing they were in a research study a limitation in Asch study?

participants were aware they were taking part in an experiment, which may have led to demand characteristics. This means they could change their behaviour (e.g. conform less or more) to fit what they thought was expected, reducing the validity of the results.

Why does the participants knowing they were in a research effect validity in Asch (1951) study?

The participants knowing they were in a research lowers internal validity because the behaviour observed may not reflect genuine conformity in real-life situations.

Why is the task of identifying lines being trivial a limitation in Asch’s study?

Because it is an artificial task that lacks real-world importance, so participants’ conformity may not reflect how people behave in meaningful social situations.