Asch

• What factors did Asch identify that affect conformity?

  The difficulty of the task, majority size, unanimity
• How does task difficulty affect conformity according to Asch's findings?

  Harder tasks increase conformity due to ambiguity
• What happens to conformity when the majority size increases?

  Conformity increases up to three confederates
• What effect does broken unanimity have on conformity?

  Broken unanimity decreases conformity
• What was the conformity rate when one confederate gave the correct answer?

  Conformity dropped to 5%
• What does a 5% conformity rate indicate about participant support?

  Support increases resistance to conforming pressure
• What was the conformity rate when a confederate gave a different incorrect answer?

  Conformity dropped to 9%
• What does a 9% conformity rate suggest about group unanimity?

  Breaking unanimity reduces conformity
• What are the limitations of Asch's research regarding population validity?

  • Unrepresentative sample of 50 white male students
  • Similarity in age, gender, race, nationality, intelligence
  • Unclear if results apply to women or other cultures
• What are the limitations of Asch's research regarding ecological validity?

  • Conducted in a controlled laboratory environment
  • Involves artificial tasks not reflecting real life
  • Potential for demand characteristics affecting results
• Why might the visual perception task in Asch's study lack ecological validity?

  It does not reflect real-life conformity situations
• How does the artificial nature of Asch's task affect the generalizability of his findings?

  It limits the applicability to real-life scenarios
• What is the consequence of using a highly controlled environment in Asch's research?

  It may not reflect natural behavior accurately
• What was the second variation of unanimity?


  One confederate gave a different incorrect answer to the majority. In this variation conformity dropped to 9%. This shows that if you break the group’s unanimous position, then conformity is reduced, even if the answer provided by the supporter, is still incorrect.
• What was the first variation of unanimity?

  One of the confederates was instructed to give the correct answer throughout. In this variation the rate of conformity dropped to 5%. This demonstrates that if the real participant has support for their belief, then they are more likely to resist the pressure to conform. 
• How many people conformed on the trials?

  74% conformed at least once

  26% never conformed