Asch variation studies Social Influence

Social influence presentations 3 minutes each presentation Note: homework on the website

The focus of this week… Asch variation studies Zimbardo (conformity) Milgram (obedience)

How well do you know conformity so far….

Asch variation studies

Task: What factors influence conformity? Three main variations/conditions he tested! Difficultly of task: The difficulty of the task is increased: the lines were made to look more similar. Group size: The majority (group of people) was increased. Unanimity: One or more of the confederates were instructed to give the correct answer.

Difficulty of task Write your answers down   How many zebras are there in the picture? 1st estimate ______ 2nd estimate ______ How many cows are there in the picture? 2nd estimate ______ without conferring, and then after discussion with the group

How many zebras are in this picture?

How many cows are in this picture? How many students changed their answer on the second estimate in each condition? There should be more conformity hence more change in the 2nd condition because the task is harder

Asch: Difficulty of the task Asch made the line lengths closer together and therefore the task harder. He found conformity to the majority increased. In addition Lucas et al (2006) found that increasing the task difficulty was influenced by the self efficacy of the individual. Participants were exposed to maths problems in a similar experiment to Asch’s. Those participants who were more confident in their abilities were less likely to conform, even when task difficulty was high. Majority influence is dependent upon situational factors (task difficulty) and individual differences.

Asch: Group size As a group decide: How many individuals should be in a group for maximum conformity? How many individuals should be in a group before conformity decreases? Group size size (activity) 1 volunteer (stand up: how many maximum conformity (3) Keep standing up. Stop when conformity decreases (15)

Asch: Size of the Majority There was little conformity when the majority was only one (3%) or two people (13%). However under the pressure of a majority of three conformity increased to 33%. BUT further increases did not increase the levels of conformity. Size of the majority is important but only up to an optimal point.

Asch: Unanimity of the Majority If one individual dissenting from the majority would affect the likelihood of the participant conforming. Originally all the confederates gave the same wrong answer. So Asch instructed one confederate to give the right answer. Conformity dropped considerably. He concluded that breaking the group’s consensus was one of the main influences in conformity.

Exam question… Some students are celebrating the end of their exams by having a night out. They have been in the pub all evening and are now discussing which nightclub to go on to. Imogen prefers Rotting Flesh but the majority of the group wants to go to Scar Tissue. Your Task: Briefly explain how each of the following factors might affect whether or not Imogen conforms to the majority. a) Group Size b) Unanimity