The Asch Conformity Experiment Essay

Introduction

Asch conformity experiments, also called Asch Paradigm, are a series of studies that verified the power of conformity that existed in groups. These experiments were first carried out by Asch Solomon in his vision test, where many students took part (Zimbardo, 2007). Apart from one real subject, other participants were confederates that had been instructed to give wrong answers. In the experiment, Asch used two cards, one with three lines drawn on it, and the other with only one line. In the experiment, had had two sets of lines that he required his respondents to compare. The first set had three lines and the second set had just one. The respondents were required to select one line from the first set that is as long as the line in the second set. This experiment was repeated a number of times, with the cads being varied each time.

Asch arranged so that the real subject was to be the next to the last person or the last person in every group to announce his/her answer. This was in order for him/her to hear most of the confederates’ wrong responses before giving his/her own. The last bit of the experiment was done and the participants were to write their answers on a paper (Zimbardo, 2007).

The Analysis of the case

In the first part of the experiments, the subject gave the wrong answer just like the other confederates. Whenever the group gave the same answer, there was a high likelihood of the real respondent giving that answer as well, regardless of whether it is right or wrong.

When the participants were given a chance to give their answers in written form, the real subject gave her answers without interruption and most of them were correct.

How people respond to group pressure

In the Asch experiment, the real subjects admitted to having been influenced by the group to give the answers they gave. They gave the wrong answer so as to conform to the group, even though they knew it was not right. Some admitted that they did this to please the group, and avoid being segregated by it. A few of the respondents believed that the group was better informed than them, and therefore they were wrong, and the group was right.

This, therefore, shows that people respond to a group mainly because they want that group to like them (Kristo, 2003). When these respondents were allowed to write down the answers, the level of conformity greatly reduced (Kristo, 2003). This gives the second way in which an individual responds to group pressure.

In addition, the level at which an individual conforms to a group is also dependent on the group size (Zanna, 1992). When the respondent was in a group of three, the answer she gave was correct but as the size of the group was increased with time, the level at which the real subject was conformed to the group increased. This implies that the majority greatly influences an individual’s conformity level.

Apart from the above, an individual conforms to a group depending on its cohesiveness. This is the level at which the group is united or the way it operates. When a particular group is united and every member is giving the same answer, one could easily be tempted to conform to it. In the first case, where the real subject gave her answer last after all the other participants, the answer, in this case, was similar to other members even if she doubted it. In the second case where the group was small and every member gave her own different answer, the real subject did not conform to the group; instead, she gave her own answer (Andersen & Taylor, 2005).

Personal observations and Experiences

I have observed that at fancy dinners, one finds it hard picking one fork among five because he/she may not be sure of the right fork. Such a person will not pick a fork until he or she sees which fork other people are picking. This is usually the case because one is afraid of looking different from the crowd. Moreover, it is human nature to want to seek acceptance from the crowd and conform to it. This is in order to be accepted by the rest of the group because one assumes that a group is better informed compared to an individual. In short, individuals often feel inadequate before a group, a situation that worsens as the group grows.

Conclusion

From Asch’s experiment, one finds it very difficult to maintain he/she sees something when the rest are not seeing it. Group pressure could lead to the modification or distortion of an individual’s thought, hence making him/her see what the rest of the group sees. Group pressure is therefore very effective at changing an individual from who he/she really is. The group is therefore very important in determining what views an individual holds or how he/she perceives life in general.

References

1. Andersen, M. L. & Taylor, F. H. (2005). Sociology: understanding a diverse society; 4^th Edition. London: Cengage Learning,
2. Kristo, N. (2003). Mobile democracy: essays on society, self and politics. New York: Passagen.
3. Zimbardo, P. (2007). The Lucifer Effect: Understanding how good people turn evil. New York: Random House.
4. Zanna, M. P. (1992). Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Volume 25 New York: Academic Press