AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Key Terms. Conducted by social psychologist Solomon Asch of Swarthmore College, the Asch conformity experiments were a series of studies published in the 1950s that demonstrated the power of conformity in groups. They are also known as the Asch paradigm.

Detailed explanation-2: -Solomon Asch-Conformity Experiment Asch (1951) devised what is now regarded as a classic experiment in social psychology, whereby there was an obvious answer to a line judgment task. If the participant gave an incorrect answer it would be clear that this was due to group pressure.

Detailed explanation-3: -Asch used a line judgement task, where he placed on real naïve participants in a room with seven confederates (actors), who had agreed their answers in advance. The real participant was deceived and was led to believe that the other seven people were also real participants.

Detailed explanation-4: -The experiment concluded that people conform for two main reasons: they want to fit in with the group (normative influence) and because they believe the group is more informed than they are (informational influence). Asch, S. E. (1951).

Detailed explanation-5: -Solomon Asch is considered a pioneer of social psychology and Gestalt psychology. 5 His conformity experiments demonstrated the power of social influence and still serve as a source of inspiration for social psychology researchers today.