Asch

Reaching a Verdict – How Psychology Can Inform Behaviour in the Courtroom

Reaching A Verdict

3.2 Majority Influence

·        An insight into the power of majority influences and conformity.

Key Study: Asch, The Power of Majority Influence & Conformity

Aims:-

·        To investigate the effects of conformity to a majority when the task is unambiguous.

Methodology:-

·        A laboratory experiment

Procedure:-

·        Asch arranged for a naïve participant to be asked a question to which several stooges of the experimenter had already given clearly the wrong answer.

·        The confederates were told to give the same incorrect answer on 12 critical trials. 

·        In total there were 18 trials with each participant:

o       In the first two trials- confederates answered correctly

o      …