psychology - paper 1 - end of yr12

• what was the aim of Asch's study?

  to investigate conformity and majority influence
• who was involved in Asch's study?

  123 male american undergraduates in groups of 6 (consisting of 1 true participant and 5 confederates)
• what was Asch's procedure?

  • pps and confederates were presented with 4 lines; 1 control
  • they stated which of the 3 lines was the same length as the control
  • the real pp always answered last or second to last
  • confederates would give the same incorrect answer for 12/18
  • Asch observed how often the pp would conform versus the correct answer
• what did Asch find from his study?

  • 36.8% conformed
  • 25% never conformed
  • 75% conformed at least once
  • in the control group, 1% of responses given by participants were incorrect (eliminates eyesight/perception as an extraneous variable - increasing validity)
• what are factors affecting conformity?

  group size, unanimity of majority, task difficulty
• what is group size?

  pps are more likely to conform in a larger group
• how does unanimity affect conformity?

  pps are more likely to conform when the group is unanimous
• how does task difficulty affect conformity?

  pps are more likely to conform when the task is difficult
• how did group size affect Asch's study?

  less than 3 confederates: low conformity, more than 3: conformity +30%
• how did unanimity affect Asch's study?

  • when another participant is there or confederate gave the correct answer: conformity fell 32% - 5.5%
  • when different answers were given: falls 32% - 9%
• how did task difficulty affect Asch's study?

  when the lines were more similar: conformity increased
• what are some strengths of Asch's study?

  • high internal validity - strict control over extraneous variables (timing of assessment, task used)