Conformity: Asch's Research

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Give a brief outline of Asch's experiment
Two large white cards, one had standard line on it and the other had three comparison lines on. Ppts. were asked to identify(out-loud) which of the comparison lines matched the standard line
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Who was involved in Asch's study?
123 undergraduates from America
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How large were the groups each ppt. was tested in?
Groups contained between 6-8 confederates
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What were the findings from Asch's experiment?
75% conformed at least once with the confederates who gave mostly wrong answers
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What explanation of conformity can be used to explain the ppts. behaviour?
Normative social influence
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Give three of Asch's variations:
Group size, Unanimity, Task difficulty
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What did Asch find when he altered the group sizes in his experiment?
With 3 confederates, the conformity rose. But the addition of any more made little difference
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What did Asch's find when he added a dissenting confederate in his experiment?
Dissenting confederate led to a reduced conformity as it enabled ppt. to behave more independently
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What did Asch find when he made the task more difficult?
Conformity increased when lines became more similar in length
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Which explanation for conformity plays a greater role when the task becomes more difficult?
Informational social influence
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Is Asch's study consistent over time? Give reasons for your answer
No. Perrin and Spencer repeated his study with Engineering students in the UK and found lower conformity, which suggests that Asch's experiment may not be consistent across all situations or time
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Give two further issues with Asch's experiment:
Ppts. knew about the study therefore mahy have gone along with the demands of the study (demand characteristics) and the task of measuring lines is artificial therefore findings may not generalise to everyday situations
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Why may conformity rates be lower in America than other cultures and how does this relate to Asch's study?
Asch ran his study in the US which was an individualist culture at the time. More collectivist cultures found higher conformity rates as they are orinetated to group needs. Therefore Asch's findings may only be applicable to American men
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What ethical issues are involved in Asch's study?
Ppts. were decieved
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What did William and Sogon find when the group of strangers in Asch's experiment was exchanged for a group fo friends?
Higher conformity with a group of friends
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Card 2

Front

Who was involved in Asch's study?

Back

123 undergraduates from America

Card 3

Front

How large were the groups each ppt. was tested in?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What were the findings from Asch's experiment?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What explanation of conformity can be used to explain the ppts. behaviour?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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