Asch Conformity Experiment

Summary

The script details Solomon Asch's classic conformity experiment, where participants were asked to match a line's length amidst group pressure to conform. It explores how social forces influence perception, with 37% conforming due to informational or normative influences. The experiment also shows that conformity decreases when unanimity is broken or when responses are private, highlighting the power dynamics within group settings.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The script describes an experiment by Solomon Asch that examines conformity under social pressure, specifically regarding the perception of line lengths.
• 🎯 The task in the experiment is to identify which of three lines matches the length of a line presented on the left side of a card.
• 👥 The experiment involves a group setting where only one person is a real subject, and the others are confederates instructed to give incorrect answers.
• 👀 Subjects often conform to the group's incorrect answers, with 37% of them going along with the group on critical trials.
• 🤔 Asch found that subjects' conformity was based on different reasons, such as believing the group must be right or wanting to avoid conflict.
• 👫 Providing a partner to the naive subject who also gives the correct response significantly reduces conformity, dropping to only 5% of critical trials.
• 🔗 The power of the group seems to stem not just from its numbers but also from the unanimity of its opposition, which can be diminished by breaking that unanimity.
• 📉 Conformity can be categorized into informational conformity, where individuals are convinced by the group's correctness, and normative conformity, driven by fear of group disapproval.
• 📝 In a variation of the experiment, subjects were told to write their answers privately, which greatly reduced conformity due to the absence of group criticism.
• 📉 The private response experiment shows that the normative factor of conformity is significantly influenced by the fear of public disapproval.
• 📚 Asch's experiment is a classic in social psychology, demonstrating how people can deny their own perceptions under group pressure and providing insights into the conditions that affect conformity.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the experiment described in the script?

The main purpose of the experiment is to examine the influence of social forces on individual perception and behavior, specifically focusing on the conformity of perception under group pressure.

What is the task given to the participants in the experiment?

The task is to compare the length of a line on the left with three lines on the right and determine which of the three lines is equal in length to the one on the left.

What role do the confederates play in the experiment?

The confederates are instructed to give wrong answers on some trials to observe how the real subject responds to group influence.

How does the experiment reveal the subject's conformity to the group?

The experiment reveals conformity when the subject, despite seeing the correct answer, agrees with the group's incorrect answers due to the pressure to conform.

What percentage of critical trials did subjects conform in Solomon Asch's experiment?

Subjects conformed in 37% of the critical trials, going along with the group's incorrect judgments.

What were the different reasons subjects conformed to the group, as revealed by interviews?

Subjects conformed either because they genuinely believed the group was correct, or to avoid discomfort by not disagreeing with the group.

What effect did having a partner who also gave the correct response have on conformity?

Having a partner reduced conformity to only 5% of the critical trials, showing that the unanimity of the group's opposition significantly influences conformity.

What is informational conformity, and how does it differ from normative conformity?

Informational conformity occurs when individuals conform because they believe the group is right, while normative conformity happens when individuals conform to avoid disapproval from the group for deviating.

How does the experiment demonstrate the power of group unanimity on conformity?

The experiment shows that when the group's unanimity is disrupted, such as by having a partner who agrees with the subject, the group's power to influence conformity is greatly reduced.

What was the effect of allowing subjects to write their answers privately in another variation of the experiment?

Allowing subjects to write their answers privately reduced conformity by two-thirds, indicating that the fear of group criticism is a significant factor in conformity.

What broader implications does Asch's experiment have for understanding human behavior?

Asch's experiment has broader implications for understanding how people may deny their own perceptions and submit to group pressure, and it helps to study the conditions that increase or reduce conformity.