Group Size

• (1) Aim: To see how group size, affects the rate of conformity.
• (2) Method: This variation ranged from using 1 confederate to up to 15 confederates. The procedure was the same as in Asch's baseline experiment using the line comparison test.
• (3) Results: When there was one confederate, the real participants conformed on just 3% of the critical trials. When the group size increased to two confederates, the real participants conformed on 12.8% of the critical trials. When there were three confederates, the real participants conformed on 32% of the critical trials (the same as Asch’s baseline experiment).
• (4) Conclusion: This study suggests that conformity reaches its highest level with just three confederates. Asch continued investigating group size and in one condition he used 15 confederates and found the rate of conformity slightly dropped. This could be because the real participants became suspicious of the experiment and not because the pressure to conform is less, in larger groups.