Asch’s research

• What was the main purpose of Asch's research?

  To assess how much people will conform to the opinion of others even when the answers are certain
• What does Asch's research support as an explanation of social influence?

  Normative social influence
• What was the effect of group size on conformity in Asch's test?

  Conformity rises to 31.8% with a group of 3, but additional people made little change
• How does non-unanimity affect conformity rates according to Asch's research?

  The presence of another non-conforming person reduced the conformity rate by ¼
• What happens to conformity rates as task difficulty increases?

  The conformity rate rises as the task becomes harder
• Describe the method used in Asch's research.

  • 8 people in a room
  • 6 confederates gave unanimous incorrect answers
  • The 7th person was the naïve participant
  • Participants chose between lines A, B, and C compared to a standard line
• What percentage of the time did the naïve participant conform to the group's incorrect answer?

  31.8%
• What did later interviews reveal about the reasons for conformity among naïve participants?

  They often conformed out of fear of rejection
• How many trials were conducted in Asch's research?

  78 trials
• What percentage of participants conformed at least once in Asch's study?

  75%
• What are the three main variants of Asch's test and their effects on conformity?

  1. Group Size:

  • Conformity increases with group size up to 3

  1. Unanimity:

  • Presence of a non-conformist reduces conformity

  1. Task Difficulty:

  • Increased difficulty leads to higher conformity
• what experiment supports Aschs research


  sherif autokinetic effect