AO3- Asch (1951)

    Cards (17)

    • As participants were invited into a lab setting, they may have changed their behaviour to please the researchers.
      This is known as demand characteristics.
    • There is conflicting research as, Perrin and Spencer (1980) suggest the findings may lack temporal validity. They found just one conforming response in 396 trials with engineering students.
    • Supporting Research:
      (1)Jenness conducted an experiment on conformity using a glass bottle filled with 811 white beans. The sample consisted of 101 psychology students who individually estimated the number of beans in the bottle.
    • (2)Participants were then divided into groups of three and asked to provide a group estimate through discussion. After the discussion, participants were given another opportunity to individually estimate the number of beans.
    • (3)Jenness found that nearly all participants changed their original answer after the group discussion. On average, male participants changed their answer by 256 beans and female participants changed their answers by 382 beans.
    • (4)These results demonstrate the power of conformity in an ambiguous situation and are likely to be the result of informational social influence (ISI).
    • Asch's study has many applications to real life as it helps our understanding of ISI and NSI.
    • Ethical Guidelines apply to all psychological studies and follow the code of conduct.
    • Deception was broken in Asch's study as participants were led to believe the confederates were real participants. As well as this his study had no informed consent.
    • Ecological Validity: in lab experiments like Asch this type of validity is low. The artificial setting does not represent real life.
    • Population Validity: the sample in Asch's study lacks this type of validity. It is not representative of the wider population.
    • Temporal Validity: if the findings of the research would apply today. Asch's baseline study was conducted in 1951.
    • Reliability is high when there are strict controls over the situational variables and there are standardised procedures for all the participants.
    • Is Asch's line test study reliable?

      Yes. It was conducted in a lab with high controls and standardised procedures for all participants.
    • Generalisation: the sample is not representative as it only used 50 male students from the USA.
    • Why is the sample gender biased?
      Only used male participants (androcentric)
    • Why is the sample culturally biased (ethnocentric)?

      Only used students from the USA