Conformity: Asch's research

• Conformity = a change in a persons opinions as a result of pressure
• What is conformity?

  A change of behaviour or opinions as a result of pressure
• Asch's study tested 123 American male participants
• In Asch's study each trial had a standard line and 3 comparison lines
• In Asch's study participants had to say their answers out loud
• In Asch's study In groups of 6-8 there was only one genuine participant while the others were confederates of Asch
• In Asch's study naive participants conformed 36.8% of the time
• In Asch's study 25% of participants never gave the wrong answer
• Asch extended his baseline study to investigate these 3 variables affecting conformity:

  1. group size
  2. unanimity
  3. task difficulty
• In Asch's study conformity increased with group size because people are sensitive to opinions of others
• Asch added a dissenting confederate (sometimes giving correct answers sometimes not) and found that conformity reduced as unanimity decreased
• In Asch's study conformity increased as the task became more difficult (making both lines more similar), because we are more likely to look to others for guidance assuming they are right (ISI).
• Limitation: Tasks in Asch's study were artificial, and participants knew they were in a study, which may have influenced their behaviour, they may have conformed due to demand characteristics.
• Limitation: Asch's participants were American men, and women may be more conformist, particularly in collectivist cultures like China.
• Limitation: In Asch's study, participants were deceived by confederates. Participants in Asch's study may have felt stressed and embarrassed, which could cause psychological damage.
• Limitation: Asch's study was conducted in a small sample size, which may not be representative of the general population.
• • Strength for Asch's study: Evidence supporting task difficulty variable. Lucus et als study using ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ math problems proved conformity increases with task difficulty