Asch & Variables Affecting Conformity

• What was the main focus of Asch's study of conformity?

  To investigate majority influence on individual responses
• What did Asch want to determine about group pressure?

  Whether it could lead individuals to give incorrect answers
• In Asch's study, how many male students participated?

  123 male students
• What was the task given to participants in Asch's study?

  To identify which of three lines matched the length of a given line
• How many trials were conducted in total during Asch's study?

  18 trials
• What was the nature of the confederates' responses in the critical trials?

  They all gave the same incorrect answer
• What percentage of participants conformed at least once during the critical trials?

  75%
• What conclusion did Asch draw about conformity from his study?

  People conform to the majority even in unambiguous situations
• What are the two reasons Asch identified for why people conform?

  Normative social influence (NSI) and informational social influence (ISI)
• What percentage of participants did not conform at all during the trials?

  25%
• What are the strengths of Asch's study of conformity?

  • Standardized procedure allows for replication
  • High reliability due to consistent results
  • Cross-cultural replications provide validity
  • Collectivist cultures show higher conformity rates
• What are the limitations of Asch's study of conformity?

  • Conducted in the 1940s/50s, lacks temporal validity
  • Participants may have guessed the study's aim
  • Response bias could reduce validity of findings
• How did group size affect conformity in Asch's variations?

  Conformity increased with more confederates, peaking at three
• What was the conformity rate with one confederate?

  3%
• What effect did introducing a non-conforming confederate have on conformity rates?

  It reduced conformity to 5%
• How did task difficulty influence conformity in Asch's study?

  Increased difficulty led to higher conformity rates
• What explanations did Asch provide for conformity in easy versus difficult tasks?

  ISI for difficult tasks and NSI for easy tasks
• What does NSI stand for in the context of conformity?

  Normative social influence
• What does ISI stand for in the context of conformity?

  Informational social influence
• How does Asch's study illustrate the concept of social influence?

  It shows how group pressure can lead individuals to conform against their better judgment
• What cultural differences did Smith & Bond (1996) identify in relation to conformity?


  Higher rates of conformity in collectivist cultures
• What was the main finding regarding the critical trials in Asch's study?

  Participants conformed to the incorrect answer 36.8% of the time
• What does the term 'unanimity' refer to in the context of Asch's study?

  The extent of agreement among group members
• How did Asch's findings contribute to our understanding of social behavior?

  They highlighted the powerful effect of group dynamics on individual decision-making