Asch's Research Strengths and Weaknesses


	Asch's Research Strengths and Weaknesses
	Advantages Contrasting Research to point on opposite page - Williams and Sogon 1984 found conformity was actually higher when majoirty of group were friends than when they were strangers. Opposite page contrasting - However, positive of this is that it aimed to reduce demand characteristics.	Disadvantages Findings only apply to certain situations - the facr ppts had to answer out loud and were with strangers who they wanted to impress might've meant conformity was higher than usual. Ethical Issues - naive ppts were deceived because they thought the other people involved in the procedure were also genuine ppts like themselves. Demand Characteristics - ppts knew they were in a research study and may simply have gone along with demands of the situation. Although naive ppts were part of a group, it didn't really resemble groups that were part of everyday life.
	Evaluation

Contrasting Research to point on opposite page - Williams and Sogon 1984 found conformity was actually higher when majoirty of group were friends than when they were strangers.
Opposite page contrasting - However, positive of this is that it aimed to reduce demand characteristics.

Findings only apply to certain situations - the facr ppts had to answer out loud and were with strangers who they wanted to impress might've meant conformity was higher than usual.
Ethical Issues - naive ppts were deceived because they thought the other people involved in the procedure were also genuine ppts like themselves.
Demand Characteristics - ppts knew they were in a research study and may simply have gone along with demands of the situation. Although naive ppts were part of a group, it didn't really resemble groups that were part of everyday life.

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