Conformity

• What was the main aim of Asch's research in 1951?

  To see if people would change their views to conform to a majority that was plainly wrong.
• How many participants were genuine in Asch's study?

  Only one participant was a genuine participant.
• How many trials did Asch conduct where confederates gave wrong answers?

  On 12 of the 18 trials.
• What percentage of participants conformed in Asch's study?

  Participants conformed 33% of the time.
• What was the percentage of participants who conformed at least once in Asch's study?

  95% conformed at least once.
• What were the two main reasons participants conformed according to Asch's conclusion?

  Normative social influence (NSI) and informational social influence (ISI).
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Asch's research?

  Strengths:

  • High internal validity due to control over variables.
  • High internal reliability with consistent methods.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Low ecological validity, not relevant to real-life situations.
  • Possible demand characteristics due to participants knowing they were being studied.
  • Lacks temporal validity as it may be outdated.
• How does the size of the majority affect conformity in Asch's variations?

  Little conformity occurs with 1 or 2 confederates, but conformity increases with a majority of 3.
• What happens to conformity when there is a dissenting participant in Asch's variations?

  Conformity drops significantly when just one other participant gives a different answer.
• How does the difficulty of the task affect conformity in Asch's variations?

  Conformity increases when the correct answer is less obvious.
• What is normative social influence (NSI)?

  Conformity to be part of the majority and not stand out, resulting in compliance.
• What is informational social influence (ISI)?

  Conformity due to uncertainty about how to behave, using the majority as a source of information.
• What are the types of conformity?

  1. Compliance: Changing behavior to fit a group while privately disagreeing.
  2. Identification: Changing beliefs to fit a social group, believing those beliefs are one's own.
  3. Internalization: Publicly and privately conforming to the beliefs of others.
• How did Asch's research support the concepts of NSI and ISI?

  Participants conformed due to fear of being disliked (NSI) and doubt in their own perceptions (ISI).
• What was the main aim of Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment?

  To see if brutality in prisons was due to the personality of guards or identification with social roles.
• How were participants assigned roles in Zimbardo's experiment?

  Participants were randomly allocated to the roles of guard or prisoner.
• What were the results of Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment?

  Guards became dominant and exhibited extreme behavior, while prisoners showed passive behavior and depression.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment?

  Strengths:

  • Control over variables increased internal validity.
  • Insight into the effects of social roles on behavior.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Ethical issues, including consent and psychological harm.
  • Lack of realism due to demand characteristics.
  • Narrow sample limits generalizability.
• How did Zimbardo's experiment demonstrate conformity to social roles?

  Both guards and prisoners conformed to their assigned social roles.
• What did McDermott argue about the realism of Zimbardo's experiment?

  Participants behaved as if the prison was real, with 90% of conversations being prison related.
• What did Zimbardo's study suggest about the power of social roles?

  It suggested that social roles can strongly influence behavior, but not all participants conformed to brutal behavior.
• What is the relationship between NSI and ISI in conformity?

  • NSI and ISI can work together in real-world situations.
  • NSI is about the desire to be liked, while ISI is about the desire to be correct.
  • Asch found evidence for both influences in his experiments.