Understanding Conformity: Asch Experiment and Social Influence

116

annabelle

04/09/2025

Psychology

Psychology a-level social influence

1,993

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4 Sept 2025

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10 pages

Understanding Conformity: Asch Experiment and Social Influence

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annabelle

@annabelle_styles

Hey there! Let's dive into the cool world of conformity. Ever heard of Asch (1951) and his famous conformity experiment? We'll explore the 4 types of conformity like normative conformity and informational social influence with fun examples. Learn how people change their behavior with others, discover the Asch experiment results, and find out about its procedure, conclusion, and yes, even the ethical issues it faced! Get ready to learn about psychology terms using simple words that make it all super easy and fun!

Conformity-Types and explanations
Conformity is "adopting the behaviours, beliefs, etc. of another person or group".
3 types of conformity
C

Asch Conformity Experiment (1951)

This page details Solomon Asch's famous conformity experiment:

The study aimed to see if participants would conform to the majority on an unambiguous task. 123 male American undergraduates participated in groups of 6-8, with all but one being confederates. Participants were shown cards with lines and asked to match lengths. Confederates deliberately gave wrong answers to see if the real participant would conform.

Key findings:

Participants conformed 36.8% of the time
25% never conformed
The experiment demonstrated normative social influence

Asch's variations showed:

Smaller group size decreased conformity
Lack of unanimity reduced conformity
Increased task difficulty raised conformity (demonstrating informational social influence)
Anonymity significantly lowered conformity

Example: In the Asch conformity experiment, participants had to match line lengths on cards, with confederates giving incorrect answers to test conformity.

Highlight: The Asch conformity experiment results showed that even in clear-cut situations, people often conform to group pressure.

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment (1973)

This page describes Philip Zimbardo's controversial prison experiment:

24 male students were randomly assigned roles as prisoners or guards in a mock prison at Stanford University. The experiment aimed to study the psychological effects of perceived power.

Key points:

Prisoners were "arrested" and strip-searched to create realism
Guards were given uniforms and rules to follow
Prisoners rebelled after two days, guards retaliated
Some prisoners experienced mental distress
The experiment was terminated after 6 days instead of the planned 14

The study highlighted how situations can powerfully influence behavior and conformity.

Evaluation:

Strength: High control over variables increased internal validity
Limitation: Lack of realism and possible role-playing by participants
Criticism: Zimbardo may have exaggerated the power of social roles

Quote: "The experiment highlights the power of situations on behaviour and conformity."

Highlight: Zimbardo's experiment demonstrates how quickly people can conform to assigned roles, even in artificial situations.

Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiment (1963)

This page begins to describe Stanley Milgram's famous obedience experiment:

The original study found that 65% of participants were willing to administer apparently lethal electric shocks when ordered by an authority figure.

$Note: The transcript appears to be cut off, so I cannot provide more details about Milgram's experiment.$

Highlight: Milgram's experiment revealed the surprising extent to which people may obey authority, even when it conflicts with their personal ethics.

Conformity Types and Explanations

This page introduces the concept of conformity in psychology and outlines three main types:

Compliance conformity: Publicly agreeing with a group while privately disagreeing, often to gain approval or avoid disapproval. This is short-term and ends when group pressure stops.
Identification conformity: Publicly agreeing with a group one admires or wants to join, without changing private beliefs.
Internalization conformity: Both publicly and privately accepting group beliefs, resulting in long-lasting attitude changes.

The page also explains two key social influences:

Normative social influence (NSI): Conforming to fit in with social norms and gain approval. This is an emotional process leading to compliance.
Informational social influence (ISI): Looking to others for guidance when uncertain. This cognitive process leads to internalization.

Definition: Conformity is "adopting the behaviours, beliefs, etc. of another person or group".

Highlight: Understanding the different types of conformity and social influences is crucial for analyzing human behavior in group settings.

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Psychology

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1,993

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4 Sept 2025

•

10 pages

Understanding Conformity: Asch Experiment and Social Influence

annabelle

@annabelle_styles

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Asch Conformity Experiment (1951)

This page details Solomon Asch's famous conformity experiment:

Key findings:

Participants conformed 36.8% of the time
25% never conformed
The experiment demonstrated normative social influence

Asch's variations showed:

Smaller group size decreased conformity
Lack of unanimity reduced conformity
Increased task difficulty raised conformity (demonstrating informational social influence)
Anonymity significantly lowered conformity

Example: In the Asch conformity experiment, participants had to match line lengths on cards, with confederates giving incorrect answers to test conformity.

Highlight: The Asch conformity experiment results showed that even in clear-cut situations, people often conform to group pressure.

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Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment (1973)

This page describes Philip Zimbardo's controversial prison experiment:

24 male students were randomly assigned roles as prisoners or guards in a mock prison at Stanford University. The experiment aimed to study the psychological effects of perceived power.

Key points:

Prisoners were "arrested" and strip-searched to create realism
Guards were given uniforms and rules to follow
Prisoners rebelled after two days, guards retaliated
Some prisoners experienced mental distress
The experiment was terminated after 6 days instead of the planned 14

The study highlighted how situations can powerfully influence behavior and conformity.

Evaluation:

Strength: High control over variables increased internal validity
Limitation: Lack of realism and possible role-playing by participants
Criticism: Zimbardo may have exaggerated the power of social roles

Quote: "The experiment highlights the power of situations on behaviour and conformity."

Highlight: Zimbardo's experiment demonstrates how quickly people can conform to assigned roles, even in artificial situations.

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Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiment (1963)

This page begins to describe Stanley Milgram's famous obedience experiment:

The original study found that 65% of participants were willing to administer apparently lethal electric shocks when ordered by an authority figure.

$Note: The transcript appears to be cut off, so I cannot provide more details about Milgram's experiment.$

Highlight: Milgram's experiment revealed the surprising extent to which people may obey authority, even when it conflicts with their personal ethics.

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

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Improve your grades

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By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Conformity Types and Explanations

This page introduces the concept of conformity in psychology and outlines three main types:

Compliance conformity: Publicly agreeing with a group while privately disagreeing, often to gain approval or avoid disapproval. This is short-term and ends when group pressure stops.
Identification conformity: Publicly agreeing with a group one admires or wants to join, without changing private beliefs.
Internalization conformity: Both publicly and privately accepting group beliefs, resulting in long-lasting attitude changes.

The page also explains two key social influences:

Normative social influence (NSI): Conforming to fit in with social norms and gain approval. This is an emotional process leading to compliance.
Informational social influence (ISI): Looking to others for guidance when uncertain. This cognitive process leads to internalization.

Definition: Conformity is "adopting the behaviours, beliefs, etc. of another person or group".

Highlight: Understanding the different types of conformity and social influences is crucial for analyzing human behavior in group settings.

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Students love us — and so will you.

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David K

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Sudenaz Ocak

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Greenlight Bonnie

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