aschs line study

• Who conducted the key study into conformity in 1951?


  Asch
• How many male American students participated in Asch's study?


  123 male American students
• In Asch's study, where did the naive participant sit in relation to the confederates?


  Second to last
• How many trials were conducted in total during Asch's study?


  18 trials
• How many of the trials were critical trials where confederates gave incorrect answers?


  12 critical trials
• What percentage of the critical trials did real participants conform to the wrong answers?


  37%
• What did most participants report about their answers during the study?

  They knowingly said the wrong answer to fit in with the group
• What type of social influence explains why participants conformed to fit in with the group?

  Normative social influence
• What type of social influence occurs when a person conforms because they desire to be right?

  Informational social influence
• What happens to conformity when the task becomes more difficult?


  Conformity increases
• How does the presence of a dissenting confederate affect conformity?

  It reduces conformity by a quarter
• What was the effect of having three confederates on conformity rates?


  Conformity to the wrong answer rose to 31.8%
• What are the key differences between normative and informational social influence?


  • Normative social influence: Conforms to fit in, associated with compliance, changes public behavior but not private beliefs.
  • Informational social influence: Conforms to be right, occurs when unsure or lacking knowledge.
• What methodological issues should be considered regarding Asch's study?

  Participant demographics, type of experiment, and ethical issues
• What was a significant finding from the replication of Asch's study with engineering students in 1980?


  Only one participant conformed in 396 trials
• Why might Asch's findings be considered era-dependent?


  Conformity rates may have been higher in the 1950s compared to today
• What limitation is associated with the application of Asch's study findings?


  It only tested men from a similar background
• What is a limitation of the artificial situation in Asch's study?


  Participants may have acted differently because they knew they were in a study
• What are the key evaluation points for Asch's study of conformity?


  • Methodological issues: participant demographics, type of experiment, ethical concerns.
  • Era dependency: findings may not apply today.
  • Limited application: only tested men from similar backgrounds.
  • Artificial situation: demand characteristics may affect results.