Conformity: Asch (1956)

What was Asch’s aim?

To investigate conformity in an unambiguous situation.

What was Asch’s procedure?

Participants judged line lengths with 6–8 confederates who gave wrong answers on 12/18 trials.

What was the conformity rate in Asch’s study?

32% average conformity on critical trials.

What percentage of participants conformed at least once?

75%.

What percentage never conformed?

25%.

What variable did Asch manipulate in ‘group size’?

Number of confederates (1–15).

How did group size affect conformity?

Very little change with 1–2 confederates; conformity rose to 32% with 3.

What happened when more than 3 confederates were used?

Conformity did not increase much further, it levelled off

What is the unanimity variable in Asch’s research?

Whether the confederates all agreed.

How did a dissenter affect conformity stats wise?

One dissenter reduced conformity to less than a quarter of the original level.

What did Asch conclude about unanimity?

A dissenter provides social support, reducing conformity.

What is the task difficulty variable?

How hard the line-judging task was.

How did task difficulty affect conformity?

Harder tasks increased conformity.

Why does task difficulty increase conformity?

People rely on others when unsure (ISI).

What methodological issue limits Asch’s study?

The artificial task and setting lacked mundane realism.

Why is Asch’s sample culturally limited?

All participants were American men.

Why is the task being for American men a limitation?

Findings may not generalise; collectivist cultures show higher conformity.

What cultural research challenges Asch’s findings?

Studies in collectivist cultures (e.g., China) show higher conformity levels.

What evidence supports Asch’s variable of task difficulty?

Lucas et al. (2006) found participants conformed more on difficult maths problems.

What did Lucas et al. conclude?

ISI increases when tasks are harder and people doubt their abilities.

What ethical issue applies to Asch’s study?

Participants were deceived (use of confederates).

Why is deception a limitation?

Participants could not give fully informed consent.