Conformity: The Solomon Asch Experiments

Social psychologist Solomon Asch is most famous forthe group’s incorrect answer. When the three
conducting what has become known as ‘Theresults were averaged, it was noted that the test
Asch Conformity Experiments.’ The aim of thesesubjects conformed to the incorrect answer 33% of
experiments was to determine whether socialthe time.
pressure could cause a person to say something thatAsch also found that the conformity rate was
was obviously wrong in the presence of othersignificantly reduced when even one of the test
conformists.subject’s companions gave the right answer. This
The Experiment’s Structureindicated that the pressure to conform was apparently
The test subject, who had been told that he was goingfar less when the control group was indecisive. A
to participate in a vision test, was put into a group withfurther finding was that whether or not the test
one or more other people who he believed were alsosubject gave an incorrect answer depended on how
test subjects. All of the other people were, however,many people his group contained. If the group
aware of the experiment’s objective and had beencomprised of just him and a companion, he would
coached on how to answer the test questions. Thealways give the correct answer, but as the number of
test itself consisted of the entire group being showncompanions increased, and provided they all gave the
one card with a line on it and then another card withsame incorrect answer, so would the number of
three lines of differing lengths.instances where he would answer incorrectly.
All participants were then asked which of the threeThe test subjects were also made to take a written
lines the individual line equaled in length, with the testversion of the test and it was observed that, in the
subject always being asked last or second to last.written tests, they chose the correct answer 98% of
Sometimes his companions gave the correct answerthe time. This indicated that, in most cases, they had
and sometimes they did not, and the test’s aimdeliberately chosen incorrect answers during the verbal
was to record how many times the test subject gavetest and had not just made mistakes.
the same wrong answer as his companions. All in all,Interpretation of Test Results
each group completed 18 separate tests.The test subjects deliberately chose incorrect
Results of the Experimentanswers as they wanted to conform, as they did not
Asch’s basic findings were that: – 75% of thewant to be different and as they wanted to fit in. They
test subjects conformed by agreeing with group’salso did not want to be ridiculed by their peers nor did
incorrect answer at least once; – 25% of the testthey want to be deemed peculiar, or strange, by their
subjects never conformed and never agreed with thepeers. This choice of action – knowing that
group’s incorrect answer; and – 5% of the testsomething is wrong but agreeing to it anyway –
subjects always conformed and always agreed withindicates the extent of the pressure to conform.