SECTION: Conformity - Variables
TOPIC: Social Influence
SUMMARY OF KEY IDEAS (K/U)
1. Conformity is a form social influence causing an individual or group to change their behaviour/beliefs due to real or
imagined pressure.
2. Asch’s baseline study – Each participant (American male) was put into a group of 5-7 confederates and everyone was
asked to pair the length of line X (shown to them) with line A,B or C. The task was unambiguous, the participant was
placed second to last in answering and all confederates gave the clearly wrong answer. On average participants answer
wrongly 36% of the time, 25% never gave a wrong answer.
3. Variables were investigated to test what leads to increased or decreased conformity.
Group Size – Asch varied the size of group from 2-16. There was a positive correlation of increased size and conformity
up to a point, even with three confederate’s conformity increased. This shows people are sensitive to the views of
others as it only took a few to change their answer.
Unanimity – In the presence of a naïve participant Asch added a dissenter. Whether they gave the right answer or not
if someone also gave a different answer conformity rates reduced. The dissenter offered social support and freedom to
independently answer due to the crack in the majorities view.
Task Difficulty – Asch made the lines more similar (increasing difficulty) and found conformity increased. As
participants were unsure of their own judgement they looked to other people to be right. (This proves/show
informational social influence.)
PEEL STRENGTH PEEL WEAKNESS
Another study with students, told them to answer easy Artificial situation – by knowing they were in a research
and hard math problems, they were given (fake) answers study participant could have simply responded to
from other students. When questions got harder, they demand characteristics, changing their answer for
conformed to other answers more often. Proving affects scientific research, there was no reason not to conform.
of task difficulty.
In real life conforming can lead to consequences meaning
But this could depend on individual factors, some say the fewer may conform. The research cannot generalise to
more ‘able’ the student was, the less they conformed as the real world.
they had individual confidence in their ability.
PEEL WEAKNESS
ETHICAL ISSUES The participants were all American males, other research
Participants were deceived, due to confederates and suggests females are more likely to conform due to social
didn’t know the true aim of the study. They could have expectations. Also, in an individualist culture people are
been caused harm believing they were wrong/their more concerned about themselves but in collectivist
eyesight was poor. But the benefits gained from this cultures, social group is more important – found that
study can be said to weigh out ethical cost, without it China has higher conformity rates.
they’d change to fit the purpose of the study.
Asch’s research lacks population validity.
TOPIC: Social Influence
SUMMARY OF KEY IDEAS (K/U)
1. Conformity is a form social influence causing an individual or group to change their behaviour/beliefs due to real or
imagined pressure.
2. Asch’s baseline study – Each participant (American male) was put into a group of 5-7 confederates and everyone was
asked to pair the length of line X (shown to them) with line A,B or C. The task was unambiguous, the participant was
placed second to last in answering and all confederates gave the clearly wrong answer. On average participants answer
wrongly 36% of the time, 25% never gave a wrong answer.
3. Variables were investigated to test what leads to increased or decreased conformity.
Group Size – Asch varied the size of group from 2-16. There was a positive correlation of increased size and conformity
up to a point, even with three confederate’s conformity increased. This shows people are sensitive to the views of
others as it only took a few to change their answer.
Unanimity – In the presence of a naïve participant Asch added a dissenter. Whether they gave the right answer or not
if someone also gave a different answer conformity rates reduced. The dissenter offered social support and freedom to
independently answer due to the crack in the majorities view.
Task Difficulty – Asch made the lines more similar (increasing difficulty) and found conformity increased. As
participants were unsure of their own judgement they looked to other people to be right. (This proves/show
informational social influence.)
PEEL STRENGTH PEEL WEAKNESS
Another study with students, told them to answer easy Artificial situation – by knowing they were in a research
and hard math problems, they were given (fake) answers study participant could have simply responded to
from other students. When questions got harder, they demand characteristics, changing their answer for
conformed to other answers more often. Proving affects scientific research, there was no reason not to conform.
of task difficulty.
In real life conforming can lead to consequences meaning
But this could depend on individual factors, some say the fewer may conform. The research cannot generalise to
more ‘able’ the student was, the less they conformed as the real world.
they had individual confidence in their ability.
PEEL WEAKNESS
ETHICAL ISSUES The participants were all American males, other research
Participants were deceived, due to confederates and suggests females are more likely to conform due to social
didn’t know the true aim of the study. They could have expectations. Also, in an individualist culture people are
been caused harm believing they were wrong/their more concerned about themselves but in collectivist
eyesight was poor. But the benefits gained from this cultures, social group is more important – found that
study can be said to weigh out ethical cost, without it China has higher conformity rates.
they’d change to fit the purpose of the study.
Asch’s research lacks population validity.
