Variables Affecting Conformity

• Name the study which investigated the effect of group pressure on conformity?

  Asch's line study (1951 & 1955)
• Describe the procedure of Asch's line study

  x 123 US undergraduate males in groups of 6-8 x Only one naive participant and the rest confederates who were instructed to deliberately give the wrong same wrong answer x Shown 3 lines and asked to say, out loud, which was the same length as the 'standard' line
• Describe the findings of Asch's study

  x When confederates gave same wrong answer, mean conformity rate = 36.8% x Participants agreed with wrong answer on 4 of the 12 trials
• State three variables which affect conformity

  1, Group size 2, Unanimity - the extent to which people in the group are saying the same answer 3, Task difficulty
• What is the effect of group size on conformity?

  With 3 confederates giving the wrong answer conformity rose to 31.8%. Any more and conformity levelled off
• What Is the effect of unanimity on conformity?

  Conformity reduced by a quarter when there was a dissenting confederate giving the right answer or different wrong answer.
• What is the effect of group size on conformity?

  Conformity increased when line-judging task made more difficult
• What is a confederate?

  A colleague of the researcher who is aware of the true aim of the study
• Would making a task more easy increase or decrease the likelihood of a person conforming?

  Decrease
• Would having more dissenting participants increase or decrease the likelihood of a person conforming?

  Decrease