Solomon Asch's Experiment On Conformity

Conformity is, in simplified terms, the tendency to modify ones’ own belief and judgement due to group pressure and follow social norms, as cited by Garton and Fletcher. This change is in response to real or imagined (involving the pressure of social norms / expectations) group pressure. The person follows the majority or crowd because they do not want to stand out and be the inferior or “weird” one in a particular social or cultural group. Conformity is mostly studied in social psychology, as it involves both individuals and the people around who influence them.

One of the most famous conformity research studies are Solomon Asch’s experiment on conformity which was carried out in the 1950s. Male college students took part in Asch’s research study to see how the subject will react to the judgement of the other participants. The research was covered up with a simple “perception” task. The subject was put with seven other “participants”, who are actually confederates who have been briefed prior to the experiment on how to respond in the trials. They were shown cards with lines and had to answer accordingly. Three quarters of the subjects tested had given incorrect answers (but same as the answers of the confederates) to at least one question. When interviewed, the subjects who conformed replied that they were doubtful and did not want to appear inferior, thus they followed the majority of the group. This research study had played a huge role in the study of social psychology,