Asch's research

• Procedure of the Solomon Asch experiment (1955)

  1. 123 Male student volunteers took part in an experiment they were told was about visual perception
  2. Placed in groups of between 7 and 8 sat in a line or around a table (they were confederates)
  3. Which length of one was correct, the confederates all said the same wrong answer and the real person answered last
  4. Control group of 36 tested individually
• Findings of the Solomon Asch experiment

  • Control group had an error rate of only 1%
  • Critical trials had 37% conformity rate
  • 25% of participants conformed at least once
• Situational Variables

  Group size

  Unanimity

  Task difficulty
• Situational Variables- group size

  Group of three needed for a significant change in conformity
• Situational Variables unanimity

  Unanimity broken leads to a change from 37% to 5% conformity
• Situational Variables task difficulty

  Conformity increased when task difficulty increased
• Limitation of Asch's research

  Artificial situation and task - leads to demand characteristics

  Only American male participants

  Ethical issues - deception
• Strength of Asch's research

  Other research supports it - Todd Lucas et al.

  Counter point - Conformity more complex than Asch suggested