Asch's research

• Aims: The aim of the study was to see if people would choose an obviously wrong answer just to conform. To test this Asch used an unambiguous task. This is a task that has a clear right and wrong answer.
• How the study was carried out:

  • 123 male American college students were used.
  • The participants were tested one at a time.
  • They were seated at a table with six other men (confederates
  • The real participant was always seated at the end of the table or last but one.
  • Participants were shown a card with three lines on it.
  • They were also given a test line.
  • The test was to say which of the three lines was the same as the 'test line'
  • The men had to give their answers out loud.
• Test Line

  The lines used in Asch's stady

  • The real participant was always last or second to last to answer.
  • There were 18 trials (18 cards). 12 of these were 'critical trials' in which the confederates all gave the wrong answer. The test was to see whether the real participant would also give the wrong answer in these trials.
• Findings:

  • Participants conformed (on average) to give the wrong answer on 32% of the critical trials.
  • 74% conformed at least once.
  • 26% never conformed.

  Participants were also interviewed about their reasons for conforming. One of the main reasons was that they feared ridicule from the group (an example of normative social influence leading to compliance conformity).
• The main strength of this study was that it was extremely influential in terms of how conformity was understood. It also provided the psychological community with a paradigm (a way of measuring something) which many researchers continue to use to this day. As a direct result of this study we know that the pressure people feel to fit in is genuine. This is a strength because it has important implications to the real world in ensuring that people make the right choice in situations such as deliberations in a jury.
• Low population validity. carried out on a limited sample. All of the participants were American. Results may not apply cross culturally. Bond and Smith carried out a meta analysis of 133 studies from 17 countries. Collectivist cultures are Eastern and emphasise community and fitting in with a group. Individualistic cultures place more importance on individuality. Conformity is higher in collectivist cultures as it is seen as more desirable to be part of the group. This is a limitation because it highlights how we cannot use Asch's research to understand conformity cross culturally.
• Low temporal validity. May not apply to modern times. When the study was carried out America was in what is known as the 'McCarthyism' era. This was a time when communism was feared and those accused of being communists could face jail. People would have been keen to fit in so as to not attract attention. Perrin and Spencer replicated Asch's study using British students. They found conformity on only one out of 396 trials. This is a limitation because it suggests that Asch's study was a 'child of its time' and might have reflected the state of society.
• Study can be considered unethical. Told it was judgement task. Deceived as to the the set up as they thought the confederates were genuine participants. This could have led to mild harm in the form of anxiety or embarrassment when the time came for them to say their answers out loud. This is a limitation because researchers have a duty of care for their participants and Asch neglected this care by causing embarrassment. However, it is accepted that deceit was necessary to uphold validity of study since results would not be valid if they knew true aim.