Variables Affecting Conformity

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Variables Affecting Conformity

Asch carried out a number of variations of his original study to find out which variables had the most significant effects on the level of conformity shown by participants.

Group Size

Asch found that there was very little conformity when the majority consisted of just one or two confederates. However, under the pressure of a majority of three confederates, the proportion of conforming responses jumped up to about 30%. Further increases in the size of the majority did not increase this level of conformity substantially, indicating that the size of the majority is important but only up to a point. Campbell and Fairey suggest the group size may have a different effect depending on the type of judgement being made and the motivation of the individual. Where there is no objectively correct answer and the individual is concerned about 'fitting in', then the larger the majority the more likely they are to be swayed. However, when there is a correct response and the individual is concerned about being correct, then the views of just one or two others will usually be sufficient.

The Unanimity of the Majority

In Asch's original study, the confederates unanimously gave the same wrong answer. What would happen if this unanimity was disturbed? When the real participant was given the support of either another real participant or a confederate who had been instructed to give the right answers throughout, conformity levels dropped significantly, reducing the percentage of wrong answers from 33% to just 5.5%. What would happen if the lone 'dissenter' and different from the true answer? In this condition, conformity rates dropped to 9%, nearly as great a fall as when the dissenter provided support for the real participant by giving the same answer. This led Asch to conclude that it was breaking the group's unanimous position that was the major factor in conforming reduction.

The difficulty of the task

In one variation, Asch made the differences between the line lengths much smaller. Under these circumstances, the level of conformity increased. Lucas et al. investigated this relationship a

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