Evaluating Asch's Study - Strengths and Weaknesses
Asch's study brilliantly demonstrates normative social influence - participants later admitted they knew the right answer but conformed to fit in. This proves that we often go along with groups just to avoid standing out, which explains loads about teenage behaviour and social media trends.
The study's high control as a lab experiment means Asch could prove that group pressure directly caused conformity. No other factors were messing with the results, giving the study strong internal validity. However, the artificial task is a major weakness - judging lines with strangers doesn't reflect real-life situations where conformity actually matters.
The biggest limitation? Population validity is rubbish. Only using American male students means we can't assume the results apply to women, different cultures, or even people today. The study's from the 1950s, so it might not reflect how we behave in our digital age.
Key takeaway: While Asch proved group pressure is real, remember that most people (63.2% of the time) actually stuck to their guns and gave the right answer!