Social Influence

• The sample for Asch's study was 123 American male students
• In Asch's original study, there was 6 to 8 confederates. However, in the group size variation there was a range of 1 to 15.
• The three variations of Asch are unanimity, group size and task difficulty.
• In asch's study, 32% of PS conformed in the critical trials, 74% PS conformed on at least one critical trial and 26% didn't conform at all. In the control group, less than 1% conformed.
• In the unanimity variation of Asch, 5% conformed when there was 1 confederate who gave the correct answers throughout. 9% conformed when 1 confederate gave the incorrect answer to the majority.
• In the group size variation of Asch, with 1 confederate 3% conformed. 2 confederates 13% conformed. 3 confederates 32% conformed. 15 confederates 29% conformed.
• In Asch's task difficulty variation, there was an increase in conformity but a percentage wasn't recorded.
• Asch's study lacks ecological validity because it lacked mundane realism and consequently meant they couldn't apply the results to real life situations.
• Asch's study also lacks population validity as it was tested on males (Beta Bias) who were all american (culture bias, doesn't meet universality). Moreover, Perrin and Spencer replicated in the UK as well as Jeness highlighting a difference in conformity rates in men and women.
• Asch's study lacks temporal validity. 1950's was a conformist era, due to communist suspicion. Moreover, Perrin and Spencer in the 1980's replicated it and reported one conform out of 400 trials.
• Asch's study had ethical implications. After the experiment, participants reported experiencing a fear of rejection or anxiety related to the pressure to conform. During the experiment, participants were not protected from distress. However, participants were debriefed after the experiment and took part in an interview about their experience, which could reduce their distress. He also deceived the PS into thinking that it was an eye test, however this was necessary to achieve conformity.
• Informational social influence is the desire to be correct. It is supported by Jeness, who asked 26 students to guess how many jelly beans where in the jar. There was an initial solo guess and then a post group discussion estimate. In men, the average change in their guess was 260 and women it was 380.
• Normative social influence is the desire to be accepted. Asch supports this, however it could be argued that his study also supported informational social influence.
• Zimbardo investigated the conformity to social roles, which involves identifying with and adopting behaviours and beliefs.
• Zimbardo examined the dispositional and the situational factors of conforming to social roles
• Legitimacy of authority is when people learn to recognise the authority of individuals such as parents, teachers and police officers through early socialisation. 
• The three situational explanations that Milgram used were proximity, location and uniform.
• When Milgram carried out his study in a run down office building the percentage of PS that completed 450 volts went from 65% to 47.5%.
• Hofling et al (1966) found that 21 out of 22 nurses administered a very high dose of medicine after being told by a "doctor" over the phone. This supports legitimacy of authority.
• Milgram's proximity variation he put the teacher and the learning in the same room and obedience rates (all the way to 450) went from 65% to 40%.
• In another Milgram proximity variation, the experimenter was giving orders over the phone and rates dropped to 20.5%.
• In Milgram's uniform variation the experimenter, in a white lab coat, was replaced by another "participant" who wore everyday clothes. Rates dropped to 20%.
• The agentic state is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual gives up their autonomy and moral responsibility to an authority figure.
• In Milgram's agentic state variation, someone else administered the shocks raising the obedience rate to 93%
• There is cultural variations for legitimacy of authority figures, when Kilman and Mann (1974) replicated the study in Australia they found 16% went to 450 volts. In Germany Mantell (1971) found that 85% went to 450 volts.
• Agentic theory suggest that people have no free will over their behaviour,