Experiments of comformity

What expirements discuss conformity?

Solom Asch, Todd Lucus et al and Muzafer Sherif

What is the Asch’s conformity experiment (1951)

123 male students where asked to match two lines together, there was only one niave participant and the rest were confederates who gave wrong asnwers 12 out of 18 times. The niave P was seated second to last. The overall conformity rate was 37%.

Asch variations affecting conformity

Group size

Unanimity

Task difficulty

What was the Todd Lucus et al conformity experiment (2006)

Ps had to solve easy and hard maths questions and they were given answers of 3 other students. They conformed more often if the question was difficult due to the ambigous nature and informational social influence

What is the Muzafer Sherif comformity experiment (1935)

The participants where placed in a dark room and they had to deside how far the lighth had travelled. individually they made a descions then they were placed in groups of 3s to disscus. Their answers began to become more similar due to ISI.

Evaluation of Asch

Deception:

cons -

Unaware of the confederates

True aim of the study wans’t on visua;

pros -

If they were aware of the confederates there may be demand characteristics

Benefits outway the cost

Protection of participants:

pros -

They werent physically harmed

There was a debrief

cons -

They were described as squirming, sweating and giggling

Signs of pressure

Situation:

pros-

High replicibilty → lab experiment

cons-

Low mundane realism

The confederates were strangers

Population validity:

High control over extraneous variables

Large sample

cons:

123 male Americans → different cultures (Bond and Smith anaylis), women are more likely conform

What was the Bond and Smith meta-analysis of the Asch experiment and their findings

They found that there is higher conformity in collectivist cultures than in individualist cultures.

Findings - Fiji conformity rate is 58% in comparision to Briatins 17%

Negative evaluations of the conformity experiments

There is low mundane realism

low external validity → Asch only contained Amercian men

Often unclear if it is ISI or NSI

Individual differences such as nAffiliation