Asch

• Who devised the procedure to assess conformity in 1951?

  Solomon Asch
• What is the purpose of Asch's baseline study?

  To assess the extent to which people conform to the opinion of others in unambiguous situations
• What variables did Asch investigate that might affect conformity?

  1. Group size
  2. Unanimity
  3. Task difficulty
• How did Asch test the effect of group size on conformity?

  By varying the number of confederates from one to 15
• What relationship did Asch find between group size and conformity rate?

  A curvilinear relationship where conformity increased with group size but leveled off after three confederates
• What percentage of conformity did Asch find with three confederates?

  31.8%
• What effect did the presence of a non-conforming person have on the naïve participant's conformity?

  It decreased the conformity rate to less than a quarter of the level when the majority was unanimous
• What does the presence of a dissenter suggest about the influence of the majority?

  It suggests that the influence of the majority depends on its unanimity
• How did Asch manipulate task difficulty in his study?

  By making the stimulus line and comparison lines more similar in length
• What was the effect of increased task difficulty on conformity rates?

  Conformity increased as the task became harder
• What did Lucas et al. (2006) find regarding task difficulty and conformity?

  Participants conformed more often to incorrect answers when the problems were difficult
• What is a counterpoint to the findings of Lucas et al. regarding conformity?

  Conformity is influenced by individual confidence levels in addition to task difficulty
• What is one limitation of Asch's research regarding the task and situation?

  The task and situation were artificial.
• Why might participants have conformed in Asch's study according to demand characteristics?

  Participants may have gone along with what was expected because they knew they were in a research study.
• What was the nature of the task in Asch's study, and why is it significant?

  The task of identifying lines was trivial, providing no real reason not to conform.
• According to Susan Fiske (2014), how did Asch's groups differ from real-life groups?


  Asch's groups were not very groupy and did not resemble groups experienced in everyday life.
• What does the limitation of generalizability in Asch's findings imply?

  It implies that the findings do not apply to real-world situations where conformity consequences might be significant.
• What demographic was primarily represented in Asch's participants?

  Asch's participants were American men.
• How might gender influence conformity according to Neto (1995)?


  Women may be more conformist due to concerns about social relationships and acceptance.
• What cultural context does the study suggest about conformity rates in collectivist cultures?

  Conformity rates are higher in collectivist cultures, such as China, where the social group is more important than the individual.
• What does the research by Bond and Smith (1996) suggest about individualist versus collectivist cultures?

  It suggests that conformity rates differ, with higher rates in collectivist cultures compared to individualist cultures like the US.
• What is one strength of Asch's research regarding task difficulty?

  There is support from other studies for the effects of task difficulty on conformity.
• What did Todd Lucas et al. (2006) find regarding conformity and task difficulty?

  Participants conformed more often when the problems were harder.
• How did Lucas et al.'s study complicate Asch's findings on conformity?

  It showed that participants with high confidence in their maths abilities conformed less on hard tasks than those with low confidence.
• What aspect of conformity did Asch not research according to the counterpoint in Lucas et al.'s study?

  Asch did not research the roles of individual factors influencing conformity.
• What are the limitations of Asch's research on conformity?

  • Artificial task and situation
  • Demand characteristics may have influenced participants
  • Limited application due to demographic (American men)
  • Findings may not generalize to real-world situations
• What are the strengths of Asch's research on conformity?

  • Support from other studies regarding task difficulty
  • Demonstrates that task difficulty affects conformity rates
• How do individual and cultural factors influence conformity according to the study material?

  • Individual factors (e.g., confidence) can affect conformity
  • Cultural factors show higher conformity in collectivist cultures compared to individualist cultures