Asch conformity experiment. Conformity 2022-10-16

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The Asch conformity experiment, also known as the Asch Paradigm, was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950s. These experiments were designed to investigate the extent to which individuals conform to group pressure and whether this conformity is influenced by the presence of others who hold a different opinion.

In the Asch experiment, a group of participants was shown a card with a line on it, followed by another card with three lines of different lengths. The participants were then asked to identify which of the three lines on the second card was the same length as the line on the first card. This task was relatively easy and the correct answer was obvious to the participants. However, the group of participants included a number of confederates, who were actually working with the experimenter and had been instructed to give the wrong answer on a predetermined number of trials. The real participants were then asked to give their answer out loud in front of the group.

The results of the Asch experiment were striking. The majority of the participants conformed to the incorrect answer given by the confederates at least once, with about 75% of the participants conforming on at least one trial. Furthermore, the more confederates there were, the more likely the real participants were to conform. These findings demonstrated the powerful influence that group pressure can have on individuals and their willingness to conform to the beliefs and opinions of others.

There have been many different interpretations of the Asch conformity experiment, with some researchers arguing that it demonstrates the human desire to fit in with a group and be accepted, while others have argued that it reflects a lack of confidence in one's own beliefs and opinions. Regardless of the specific interpretation, the Asch conformity experiment has had a significant impact on the field of social psychology and has contributed to our understanding of how group dynamics and social influence can shape our behavior.

Overall, the Asch conformity experiment is a classic example of the power of group pressure and social influence on individual behavior. It highlights the importance of being aware of the influence of others and the need to think critically and independently, rather than blindly conforming to the beliefs and opinions of others.

The Asch Conformity Experiments Free Essay Example

asch conformity experiment

It was predicted that almost all the subjects would deny to obey the experimenter, but these predictions were proved wrong. In each experimental case, the confederates answered first, and the real participant was seated so that he would answer last. The real purpose was to test levels of conformity in group situations. The subjects were told to give their opinions out loud, in the order that they had been seated. In so doing he could explore the true limits of social influence.

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Solomon Asch’s Experiment on Conformity

asch conformity experiment

Watching videos of it is so funny to me because you can see the look of confusion on the participants faces as the confederates read off their incorrect answers. In turn, each person had to say out loud which line A, B or C was most like the target line in length. Asch went on to conduct further experiments in order to determine which factors influenced how and when people conform. This was designed to see if the uncontrolled participant would conform to the others in the room because of majority view. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology.

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Asch Conformity Experiment: The Power Of Social Pressure

asch conformity experiment

He broke several deception and protection from harm. One of the three is of the same length; the other two are substantially different, the difference ranging from three quarters of an inch to an inch and three quarters. This means that the study lacks population validity and that the results cannot be generalized to females, collectivist cultures or older groups of people. During the experiment, participants were not protected from distress. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

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Asch S Conformity Experiment

asch conformity experiment

Seventy-five percent of the participants gave an incorrect answer to at least one question. Not all of them come to the same conclusions! These incorrect responses often matched the incorrect response of the majority group i. But it should give you, a psychology student, some pause. For instance, if the size of the group is small, conformity decreases. Distortion of action: These subjects never doubted that they were correct and the group was wrong, but out of fear of being perceived as different, they suppressed their opinions and intentionally lied when it was their turn to give an answer.


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Asch Conformity Experiment

asch conformity experiment

These were the critical trials that measured conformity. He was born in Poland in 1907 and moved to the United States in 1920. This is because the participants were told that the experiment was about visual perception rather than majority influence. The results of this groundbreaking study were, and still are, remarkable. The second reason was that many of the participants actually thought the confederates were correct and were better informed, so they went along with them. During the group sessions it became apparent that the subjects' reports started to converge much nearer an average.

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Asch’s Conformity Experiment: Can You Withstand Groupthink?

asch conformity experiment

It raises questions about our ways of education and about the values that guide our conduct. What criticisms were made of the experiment? They were asked a variety of questions about the lines such as how long is A, compare the length of A to an everyday object, which line was longer than the other, which lines were the same length, etc. Another problem can be said to be that the experiment used an artificial task to measure conformity-judging line lengths Brain, c. The Message of Social Psychology. Asch interviewed his participants after the experiment to find out why they conformed.


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Asch conformity experiments

asch conformity experiment

This type of conformity relates to our need to be right. Hypothesis: Asch was incorrect in his hypothesis, he believed that people would not conform to something that they knew was wrong. They more of the subjects that gave the wrong answer, the more the blind subject would to, but only up to a certain point. However, as many as 3 other people can be a source of pressure to conform. Sherif recorded each subject's response. In the actor condition also, the majority of participants' responses remained correct 63.

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Asch conformity experiment Flashcards

asch conformity experiment

When we are uncertain, it seems we look to others for confirmation. British Journal of Social Psychology. The task was controlled by the fact that the seven other men were aware of the experiment and had agreed upon their responses to the task. The participants knew that they could cause serious harm to the person in the chair. What conclusion did Asch draw from the results of the conformity experiments? Normative influence is when the person wants to fit in with others in the group and informational is when they believe that the group has more information than them. The interviews that were taken after the experiment had finished, stated that there were two main reasons that the participants conformed.

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