conformity

explanations for conformity and asch's research

Explanations for conformity

• Supporting research for ISI - Lucas et al

• Supporting research for NSI - Asch’s experiment interviews

• Difficult to distinguish which SI is occouring at given time

Asch’s research

• Opposing research - Perrin and Spencer

• Findings lack generalisability

• Tasks lack mundane realism

Explanations for conformity - Supporting ISI research

• Lucas et al - maths problems

• Conform in uncertain situations so copy majority

• Valid explanation due to support research

• CA: Individual differences - Asch’s study - students

• Limited explanation

Explanations for conformity - Supporting NSI research

• Asch’s experiment interviews - self conscious + disapproval

• Emotional reasons - not fitting in

• NSI good explanation

Explanations for conformity - Difficuilt to distinguish which SI occouring at given time

• Asch variation - dissenter which disagreed - social support + information

• Due to ISI or NSI - both at same time

• Difficult to isolate effect, reduced explanatory power - multiple interacting factors

Asch’s research - Opposing research

• Perrin and Spencer - Repeated engineering students - 1 / 396 trials

• Replicated but diff results - reliability - conformist vs non conformist

• Long time ago, cannot be generalised so not fundamental

Asch’s research - Findings lack generalisability

• Only male undergraduate American sample

• Cannot be applied to out of characteristics - women social relationships - American vs China culture

• Limited sample so lack generalisability - individuals

Asch’s research - Lacks mundane realism

• Matching lines - little relevance

• Low generalisability to everyday situations - jury

• Cannot be applied to IRL - artificial