Asch (1956)
- Created by: Ettie_Long
- Created on: 17-05-15 12:48
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- ASCH (1956)
- 123 male American participants.
- 1 participant per group, remainder of the group confederates.
- 1 standard line - 3 comparison lines
- Participants asked to match the standard line to one of the comparison lines
- Confederates gave the wrong answer on 12 out of 18 trials.
- 36.8% of the responses given were incorrect on the 12 critical trials.
- 1/4 of participants never comformed.
- Control trial - participants made a mistake 1% of the time.
- Difference between line lengths was smaller - level of conformity increased
- Lucas et al - when harder tasks are used, conformity is based on self-efficacy.
- Number of confederates - conformity responses at 30% when the majority is 3, no difference higher than that.
- Unanimity - when given the support of another participant of a confederate, conformity levels dropped from 32%-5.5%
- When another confederate is included that gives a different wrong answer, conformity dropped from 32%-9%.
- ID - women are more likely to conform than men
- Validity - Judging line length is an insignificant task.
- Ethics -deception participants did not know the real purpose of the experiment.
- Ethics - lack of informed consent
- Perrin and Spencer (1980)
- Initially found that only one conforming response out of 396 trials.
- 2nd study - used youths on probation (participants)and probation officers (confederates)
- Found similar levels of conformity to Asch.
- Suggests that conformity is higher when the costs of nonconformity are percieved as higher.
- British study
- Nicholson et al (1985)
- Bristish study
- Found some evidence of conformity.
- Suggested that a greater feeling of national cohesion in Britain arising from the Falklands War, could have caused Perrin and Spencer's results.
- Perrin and Spencer (1980)
- Initially found that only one conforming response out of 396 trials.
- 2nd study - used youths on probation (participants)and probation officers (confederates)
- Found similar levels of conformity to Asch.
- Suggests that conformity is higher when the costs of nonconformity are percieved as higher.
- British study
- Mori and Arai (2010)
- Overcame the unconvincing confederates problem.
- Participants wore special polarising glasses.
- 3 out of 4 participants saw the same thing.
- The fourth saw something different.
- The results closely matched those of Asch's study.
- Smith and Bond (1998)
- Collectivist countries have higher levels of conformity than individualist countries.
- Meta-analysis
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