Asch’s line tests

• Pilot study

  • Aim - to measure the extent that people conformed to an obvious incorrect majority
  • Conducted a study to Ensure the task was easy
  • 36 Ppts did 20 trials - 717/720 correct answers
• Baseline study

  • One ppt was placed in a group of 7 (6 confederates with predetermined responses)
  • Asked which line matches the standard line in length
  • 18 trials - first 6 trials, confederates gave correct answers and then incorrect onwards
  • each person had to state their answer aloud across the line and the ppt was the last or second to last on the line
  • findings - ppt conformed 37% of the time and 75% conformed at least once, when interviewed after many said they conformed as to not be rejected
• Variation - group size

  • Same procedure but varied confederates between 1 and 15
  • 2 confederates - 14% conformity
  • 3 confederates - 32% conformity
  • 7 confederates - 36% conformity and adding more confederates made little difference after this
• variation - unanimity

  • same procedure but Asch introduced a dissenting confederate (a non conforming confederate that always went against the group either giving the correct answer or the other incorrect answer)
  • when one confederate gave the correct answer on all trials conformity fell from 37%-5%
• variation - task difficulty

  • same procedure but line judging task made harder by the stiumulus lines being made more similar to the comparsion line
  • conformity rates grew
• Strength

  • Lucas - asked Ppts to solve easy and difficult maths questions. Ppts given answers that (falsely) claimed to be from 3 other students. Ppts conformed more when the problem was difficult