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Cover lesson- Variables affecting conformity including group size, unanimity and task difficulty as investigated by Asch

Answers for Do It Now Task:

  1. Asch (1956) Study:

    • Aim: To investigate whether individuals conform to a majority, even when the majority is clearly wrong.

    • Procedure: 123 male university students took part in a lab experiment where they were shown a line and had to match it to one of three comparison lines. Confederates in the group gave incorrect answers on 12 out of 18 trials.

    • Findings: 75% of participants conformed at least once; 25% never conformed.

    • Conclusion: People conform due to Normative Social Influence (NSI) and Informational Social Influence (ISI). Group size, unanimity, and task difficulty influence conformity.

  2. Group Size: Increasing group size increases conformity up to three confederates; beyond this, the effect levels off.

  3. Unanimity of the Majority: When one confederate disagreed with the majority, conformity rates dropped significantly.

  4. Difficulty of the Task: When the task was made harder (lines were closer in length), conformity increased because people were less confident in their own judgment.

 

Main Task: Apply Your Understanding

  1. Ben is in a group of five people who all agree on a decision. He feels pressured to conform, even though he disagrees. Based on Asch’s findings, explain how group size is influencing Ben’s decision.

    • Answer: Group size influences conformity as Asch found that conformity increases up to a group size of three to four people but does not increase significantly beyond this. Since Ben is in a group of five, he is likely feeling increased pressure to conform due to the presence of multiple people agreeing on the same decision.

  2. Elena is taking a maths test with her classmates. She is unsure about an answer, but when she sees that everyone else has chosen the same option, she picks it too. However, one student gives a different answer, which makes Elena reconsider her choice. Based on Asch’s research, explain how unanimity affects her conformity.

    • Answer: Unanimity affects conformity because Asch found that when there was a unanimous majority, conformity was high. However, when even one person disagreed with the majority, conformity dropped significantly. In Elena’s case, the single student disagreeing has reduced the pressure to conform, allowing her to reconsider her choice.

  3. Jaden is asked to complete a task where he must match shapes of similar sizes. At first, he gets all the answers right. However, when the shapes become more difficult to distinguish, he starts relying on the group's responses instead of his own judgment. How does task difficulty affect conformity?

    • Answer: Task difficulty increases conformity. Asch found that when the task was made more difficult, participants were more likely to conform because they doubted their own ability to make a correct judgment. Jaden’s increased reliance on the group suggests he is experiencing Informational Social Influence (ISI).

  4. If Asch’s experiment was repeated today, do you think people would conform at the same rate? Explain your answer using what you know about modern society and changes in social influence.

    • Answer: Conformity rates may differ today due to societal changes. Modern education encourages independent thinking, and social media allows people to express diverse opinions, potentially reducing conformity. However, peer pressure and online trends could still influence conformity in different ways.

 

Checking Your Understanding Task (5 minutes)

 

Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

  1. What was the main aim of Asch’s study?

    • B) To investigate whether individuals conform to a majority

  2. How many participants conformed at least once in Asch’s study?

    • C) 75%

  3. What happens when just one confederate disagrees with the majority?

    • B) Conformity decreases significantly

  4. Which factor did Asch find had the greatest impact on conformity?

    • D) The presence of a dissenter

  5. What was the total number of participants in Asch’s study?

    • C) 123

  6. When the task difficulty increased, conformity:

    • A) Increased

  7. What is the explanation for why people conformed in Asch’s study?

    • C) Normative social influence

  8. What was the dependent variable in Asch’s study?

    • B) The level of conformity

  9. What was the independent variable in Asch’s study?

    • A) The group size and unanimity

  10. What percentage of participants never conformed during the trials?

  • B) 25%