Zusammenfassung der Ressource
1.2 Asch's Research
- Solomon Asch (1951, 1955)
- Procedure
- Tested conformity by showing
participants two large white cards. On
one card there was a 'standard' line and
the other were three comparisons.
- Had 123 American male undergrads. Asked the participant
which line matched the standard. Each participant was tested in
a group with confederates, unaware. On the first trials they
would give the correct answer but later told to make errors.
- Findings
- Participant gave the wrong answer
36.8% of the time. 25% did not
conform on any trials. The term asch
effect used to describe the result, the
extent to which participants conform
even when the situation is ambiguous.
- Asch's Variations
- Group size
- Wanted to test whether group size had an
effect on the agreement of a group. Found
that 3 confederates conformity to the
wrong answer grew to 31.8%. Suggests
that small majority is not sufficient for
influence to be exerted.
- Unanimity
- Whether presence of another non
conforming person would affect the
participant. Presence meant that
conformity was reduced by a quarter
from the level it was at previously.
- Suggests that the influence of a majority
depends to some extent on the group
being unanimous.
- Task difficulty
- Found that conformity increased when the task
was more difficult. Suggesting that ISI plays a
greater role when the task becomes harder.
- Findings
- Strengths
- Support from other studies.
- Todd Lucas et al (2006) asked p. to solve easy
and hard maths questions. Were given
answers from 3 other students which were
not real. The p. conformed more often when
the questions were harder.
- Asch was correct in claiming task difficulty increased conformity.
- Weaknesses
- Artificial situation
- Participants knew they were in a research study
so may have just gone with what they thought
they had to do. DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS.
- Findings dont generalise
to real life situations.
- Participants were
American men.
- Other research suggests women
are more conformist. USA also
more individualistic culture.
Other research (NETO 1995)
suggests that with other ethnic
groups, may be more conformity.
- Tell us little about
conformity with women
and other cultures.