Investigations into conformity

• What is the procedure for Asch's (1956) research?

  (1)Asch showed 123 male participants two cards: one with a 'standard line' and the other with three 'comparison lines'. (2) Participants had to identify which comparison line matched the standard. (3)Each participant was placed in a group with 6-8 confederates who initially gave correct answers but later purposefully gave the same wrong answers. (4) The participants completed 18 trials, including 12 'critical trials'.
• What was the aim of Asch's (1956) research?

  to investigate conformity in the 1950's
• What were the findings of Asch's (1956) research?

  (1)the participants gave wrong answers 37% of the time.

  (2)25% of participants didn't conform at all... therefore 75% of them conformed at least once.
• What were the conclusions of Asch's (1956) Research

  1. bigger groups had a higher conformity rate (groups <3)
  2. Presence of a non-conforming confederate led to reduced conformity
  3. conformity increases in difficult situations
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's experiment?


  to investigate how readily people would conform to social roles
• What was the procedure in Zimbardo's study?


  24 male participants were selected from a newspaper ad and the most 'stable' were chosen for the experiment. Then they were randomly assigned a role; 'prisoner' or 'guard'. The prisoners experienced mock arrests and finger printed before being taken to the 'prison'. They could only be addressed by the number on their clothing. The study went on for 6 days and behaviour was observed through audio + video recordings. Every participant was interviewed during study and most of them again prior to the end.
• What were the findings of Zimbardo's study?


  1. behaviour started changing straight away -> prisoners became passive and guards became increasingly abusive.
  2. after only a day, an attempt to fight back by the prisoners was punished by fire extinguishers and being stripped of their clothing
  3. after 4 days, 4 prisoners were released due to extreme emotional disturbance
  4. after 5 days, another prisoner was released for a psychosomatic rash
• What were the conclusions of Zimbardo's study?


  1. both guards and prisoners conformed to their roles.
  2. both groups became dehumanised in the eyes of the others.
  3. supports situational explanation of behaviour (not dispositional)
• What was the sample for Asch's study?

  123 male americans
• What were the group sizes in Asch's study?

  groups of 6-8 confederates
• How many trials were done per person in Asch's study?

  18 trials, 12 critical trials
• When did Asch's study take place?

  1956
• What was the sample of Zimbardo's study?

  24 male americans
• What happened to the participants before being taken to the 'prison'?in Zimbardo's study

  they experienced mock arrests and were finger printed
• How long did Zimbardo's study last ?

  6 days
• Why did Zimbardo's study get cut short?

  his girlfriend raised concerns towards the ethics of the experiment which made him re-evaluate and decide to terminate the experiment
• What role did Zimbardo play in his experiment?

  super intendent and lead researcher