Asch (1956): study into conformity

    Cards (8)

    • What was the aim of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?

      To see whether lone ppt will conform with a group of confederates
    • What was the sample of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?

      123 male US undergraduates
    • What was the method of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?

      Lab experiment, independent groups
    • What was the procedure of Asch's 1956 study into conformity? 

      • Ppts told they were in a visual test
      • Seated around table -> 5-7 confederates + 1 naïve ppt
      • Naïve ppt always answered second to last
      • Asked to look at 3 lines + judge which matched a line presented by researcher
      • Unambiguous task
      • Group took turns answering out loud -> 12/18 trials = all confederates answered same question incorrectly
      • There was also a control group without confederates to see baseline level of mistakes made
    • What were the findings of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?

      • Critical trials -> avg. conformity rate = 33%
      • 75% ppts conformed at least once
      • Individual differences in conformity rates -> 25% ppts never conformed, 50% conformed in 6 or more critical trials
      • Control condition -> ppts only made errors 1% of the time
      • Ppts interviewed afterwards -> most said they privately trusted their own judgement but changed their answers to avoid disapproval
      • Some did report genuinely doubting their own judgement too
    • What were the conclusions of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?
      • Most ppts conformed to avoid group's disapproval -> complied due to normative influence
      • Some felt pressured by informative influence -> conformed because they thought their initial judgements were incorrect
      • Incorrect answers did seem to be due to normative/informational social influence
      • No. of incorrect answers far exceeded those in control condition where there was no pressure to conform
    • What are the strengths of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?

      • Well-operationalised + DV that clearly showed conformity to unambiguously wrong answers
      • Well-controlled -> ppts always answered second to last + out loud = intense pressure to conform
      • Only having 12 critical trials = ppts not suspicious (would have been if confederates gave wrong answers in every trial)
      • Effective operationalisation = clear causal relationship established due to high internal validity
      • Highly replicable: Usto, Drace + Hadziametovic (2019) in Bosnia, Herzegovina with muslim ppts = similar results
    • What are the weaknesses of Asch's 1956 study into conformity?

      • Rare that we have to conform with strangers compared to friends
      • Unambiguous stimulus = artificial -> situations where we conform usually involve ambiguity (IRL conformity = higher?)
      • Asch's study lacks mundane realism + has low ecological validity -> rates of conformity can't be generalised beyond lab
      • Historical bias -> McCarthyism in 1950s = people scared to stand out in fear of accusations of being a communist
      • Perrin + Spencer (1980) -> Asch's study = a 'child of its time'
      • If study was replicated today, conformity rates = lower?