Class notes
asch conformity research
- Course
- Institution
notes on asch's study on conformity for social influence for psych a level aqa
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
lolamcohn
Content preview
Asch’s research – base line procedure 1951aim- investigate the variables that might lead to an increase or decrease in conformity
method:
- 123 American male undergraduates who thought they were taking part in a vision test,
group of 6-8 confederates.
- Consisting of 1 true ppts and 5 confederates, true ppts didn’t know others were
confederates.
- Showed ppts two large cards at a time > one had a standard line and the other had 3
comparison lines (one which was the same length as the standard)
- Participants were asked which of the 3 lines matched.
- During first few trials, confederates all gave the correct answer before starting to make
errors.
- Confederates were instructed to give the wrong answer on 12/18 trials (12 were they
gave wrong were called ‘critical’ trials)
Results:
- Naïve participants gave a wrong answer 36.8% of the time (conformed)
- 25% didn’t conform.
- 75% conformed at least once.
- Term Asch effect has been used to describe these findings people will conform even
when presented with an unambiguous answer.
- Ppts were interviewed after the study and said they conformed to avoid rejection
(normative social influence)
Variables investigated by Asch (1955)
- Varied his study to investigate the variables that might lead to an increase or decrease
in conformity.
Group size:
Aim – to investigate whether the size of the group would be more important than the
agreement of the group.
- varied number of confederates from 1-15
- Found a curvilinear relationship between group size and conformity > conformity
increased with group size up to a certain point.
- With 3 confederates’ conformity to the wrong answer rose to 31.8%
- With 2 confederates it was 13.8%
- Suggesting most people are sensitive to the views of others as one confederate was
enough to sway opinion.
Unanimity:
Aim – to investigate if the presence of a non-conforming person would affect the naïve
participants conformity
- Introduced a confederate who disagreed with other confederates
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lolamcohn. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R170,24. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
61001 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy summaries for 14 years now