#3b study: Line judgment task (Asch, 1951)

Aim

• To investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could influence an individual to conform

Method

• Participants were asked to match the length of a standard line to one of three comparison lines in a group setting.

• Unbeknownst to the participant, the group consisted of confederates who purposely gave incorrect answers on some trials.

• The true participant was seated among the confederates and gave their answer after hearing the majority's choice.

• The first six times, the confederates gave the correct answers.

• The remaining twelve times, the confederates gave incorrect answers. These twelve trials were called the critical trials.

• 87 male college students were involved. In 1950s the USA.

• 50 participants were the experimental condition. These participants would publicly announce their answer after the confederates.

• To ensure that the average person could accurately gauge the length of the lines, control group (37 participants) individually write down the correct match.

Results

• 74% of participants conformed at least once, giving an incorrect answer to match the group, even though the correct answer was clear.

• In the control group, participants were very accurate in their line judgement, choosing the correct answer 99% of the time.

Contribution

• Asch's experiment demonstrated the power of normative social influence - the desire to fit in with a group, even when the group’s answer was wrong.

• It showed that people often conform to avoid social rejection or to gain social approval

Limitation/Criticisms findings

• Findings - Cultural and Historical Context

  • The study was conducted in the United States in the early 1950s, a time when conforming to social norms was emphasised due to the political climate.

  • Different cultures may show different levels of conformity.

  • Asch's findings may not be applicable to more individualistic societies, where social dynamics vary.

Limitation/Criticisms methods

• Methods - Lack of Ecological Validity

  • The experimental setting was highly artificial. Matching line lengths is a trivial task that doesn't reflect real-life social pressures or situations.

  • In real-world situations, the stakes for conforming or not conforming are often much higher, which may lead to different behaviour.

• Methods - Biased Sample

  • The participants were all male college students, which limits the generalisability of the findings to other groups, such as females, older adults, or people from different educational backgrounds.

Limitation/Criticisms ethics

• Ethics

  • Participants were deceived as they believed the other participants (confederates) were also real participants.

  • Although deception was necessary for the experiment, and participants were debriefed afterwards, it raises ethical questions about informed consent and psychological harm, as some participants may have felt embarrassed or distressed by their conformity.