Asch - Conformity

Conformity and Obedience

By James Millholland

The Asch Conformity Experiments

The Asch conformity experiments were a series of psychological experiments conducted by Solomon Asch during the 1950s. The experiments revealed the degree to which a person's own opinions are influenced by those of groups. Asch found that people were willing to ignore reality and give an incorrect answer in order to conform to the rest of the group.

Multiple Choice

Who conducted the Asch conformity experiments?

• Stanley Milgrim

• Solomon Asch

• Sigmund Freud

Open Ended

What was Asch's findings with his experiment?

A Closer Look At Conformity

Do you think of yourself as a conformist or a non-conformist? If you are like most people, you probably believe that you are non-conformist enough to stand up to a group when you know you are right but conformist enough to blend in with the rest of your peers.

Research suggests that people are often much more prone to conform than they believe they might be.

Imagine yourself in this situation: You've signed up to participate in a psychology experiment in which you are asked to complete a vision test.

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Open Ended

Why do you think most people would conform?

Seated in a room with the other participants, you are shown a line segment and then asked to choose the matching line from a group of three segments of different lengths.

The experimenter asks each participant individually to select the matching line segment. On some occasions, everyone in the group chooses the correct line, but occasionally, the other participants unanimously declare that a different line is actually the correct match.

So what do you do when the experimenter asks you which line is the right match? Do you go with your initial response, or do you choose to conform to the rest of the group?

Subject | Subject

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Open Ended

Explain the Asch experiment.

Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiments

In psychological terms, conformity refers to an individual's tendency to follow the unspoken rules or behaviors of the social group to which he or she belongs. Researchers have long been interested in the degree to which people follow or rebel against social norms. Asch was interested in looking at how pressure from a group could lead people to conform, even when they knew that the rest of the group was wrong. The purpose of Asch's experiments? To demonstrate the power of conformity in groups.

Subject | Subject

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Multiple Choice

This refers to an individual's tendency to follow the unspoken rules or behavior of the social group to which he or she belongs.

• Social Psychology

• Conformity

• Obedience

• Attitude

Multiple Choice

Which line is similar to the one on the left?

• A

• B

• C

Open Ended

What if I told you that everyone in the class put "A" as the answer... would you change your answer?

How Were Asch’s Experiments Carried Out?

Asch's experiments involved having people who were "in" on the experiment pretend to be regular participants alongside those who were actual, unaware subjects of the study. Those that were in on the experiment would behave in certain ways to see if their actions had an influence on the actual experimental participants.

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In each experiment, a naive student participant was placed in a room with several other confederates who were "in on" the experiment. The naive subjects were told that they were taking part in a "vision test." All told, a total of 50 students were part of Asch’s experimental condition.

Subject | Subject

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Open Ended

What is another word for "confederate"

Results of the Asch Conformity Experiments

Nearly 75% of the participants in the conformity experiments went along with the rest of the group at least one time.

The experiments also looked at the effect that the number of people present in the group had on conformity. When just one other confederate was present, there was virtually no impact on participants' answers. The presence of two confederates had only a tiny effect. The level of conformity seen with three or more confederates was far more significant.

Multiple Choice

What percentage of people conformed with the rest of the group?

• 50%

• 75%

• 100%

Multiple Choice

How many people were required to be involved in the experiment before people began to conform?

• 1

• 2

• 3-4

What Do the Results of the Asch Conformity Experiments Reveal?

At the conclusion of the experiments, participants were asked why they had gone along with the rest of the group. In most cases, the students stated that while they knew the rest of the group was wrong, they did not want to risk facing ridicule. A few of the participants suggested that they actually believed the other members of the group were correct in their answers.

Subject | Subject

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Open Ended

Why did most people say why they went along with the group?

Factors That Influence Conformity

Asch went on to conduct further experiments in order to determine which factors influenced how and when people conform. He found that:

• Conformity tends to increase when more people are present. However, there is little change once the group size goes beyond four or five people.

• Conformity also increases when the task becomes more difficult. In the face of uncertainty, people turn to others for information about how to respond.

• Conformity increases when other members of the group are of a higher social status. When people view the others in the group as more powerful, influential, or knowledgeable than themselves, they are more likely to go along with the group.

• Conformity tends to decrease, however, when people are able to respond privately. Research has also shown that conformity decreases if they have support from at least one other individual in a group.1

Multiple Choice

Conformity tends to increase when _____ people are present. However, there is little change once the group size goes _____ four or five people.

• less, beyond

• more, beyond

• more, lower than

• less, lower than

Multiple Choice

Conformity also increases when the task becomes ____difficult. In the face of uncertainty, people turn to _____ for information about how to respond.

• less, themselves

• more, themselves

• less, others

• more, others

Multiple Choice

Conformity increases when other members of the group are of a _____ social status. When people view the others in the group as _____ powerful, influential, or knowledgeable than themselves, they are more likely to go along with the group.

• Higher, less

• Lower, less

• higher, more

• lower, more

Multiple Choice

Conformity tends to _____, however, when people are able to respond privately. Research has also shown that conformity ______ if they have support from at least one other individual in a group.

• decrease, decreases

• increase, increases

• decrease, increases

• increase, decreases

Criticisms of the Asch Conformity Experiments

One of the major criticisms of Asch's conformity experiments centers on the reasons why participants choose to conform. According to some critics, individuals may have actually been motivated to avoid conflict, rather than an actual desire to conform to the rest of the group.

Another criticism is that the results of the experiment in the lab may not generalize to real-world situations.

Open Ended

What are two criticisms with Asch's experiment?

Asch's Contributions to Psychology

The Asch conformity experiments are among the most famous in psychology's history and have inspired a wealth of additional research on conformity and group behavior. This research has provided important insight into how, why, and when people conform and the effects of social pressure on behavior.

Subject | Subject

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Multiple Choice

Who conducted the experiment and what was it about?

• Asch, Obedience

• Asch, Conformity

• Milligram, Obedience

• Asch, Attitude