Conformity - Asch’s Research
Informational Social Influence - If we are uncertain about whether or not
something is right or wrong. It’s a cognitive process, and if we believe that
others are correct then we are more likely to internalise.
Normative - Where we conform to the norms or typical behaviours of a
social group. It’s an emotional process rather than a cognitive one. We
comply only to prevent rejection.
Asch’s Study on Conformity
Procedure
Showed participants two large white cards at a time.
On one card was a ‘standard line’, and on the other card there were three
‘comparison lines’.
One of the three lines was the same length as the standard, and the other
two were always substantially different. The participant was asked which
of the three lines matched the standard.
The participants in the study were 123 American male undergraduates.
Each naïve participant was tested individually with a group of between six
and eight confederates. The naïve participant was not aware that the
others were confederates.
On the first few trials, all of the confederates gave the right answers; they
started making errors. All the confederates were instructed to give the
same wrong answer. Altogether, each participant took part in 18 trials and
on 12 ‘critical trials’ the confederates gave the wrong answer.
A trial was one occasion identifying the length of a standard line.
Findings
Informational Social Influence - If we are uncertain about whether or not
something is right or wrong. It’s a cognitive process, and if we believe that
others are correct then we are more likely to internalise.
Normative - Where we conform to the norms or typical behaviours of a
social group. It’s an emotional process rather than a cognitive one. We
comply only to prevent rejection.
Asch’s Study on Conformity
Procedure
Showed participants two large white cards at a time.
On one card was a ‘standard line’, and on the other card there were three
‘comparison lines’.
One of the three lines was the same length as the standard, and the other
two were always substantially different. The participant was asked which
of the three lines matched the standard.
The participants in the study were 123 American male undergraduates.
Each naïve participant was tested individually with a group of between six
and eight confederates. The naïve participant was not aware that the
others were confederates.
On the first few trials, all of the confederates gave the right answers; they
started making errors. All the confederates were instructed to give the
same wrong answer. Altogether, each participant took part in 18 trials and
on 12 ‘critical trials’ the confederates gave the wrong answer.
A trial was one occasion identifying the length of a standard line.
Findings
