Chas Wakeman

Psychology 211
3/24/2015
The Power of Conformity

Many psychologists have had peaked interests in the subject of conformity for decades. It
wasnt until the early 1950s when psychologist Solomon Asch, became the first to study and
scientifically test the concept of conformity and provide new information and opportunities for
further research. Aschs main focus was the concept of perceptual conformity, which is the way
humans seem to agree or disagree with someones opinion or perception of the world. This study
was conducted to test how powerful conformity actually was and Asch believed researchers
could change a persons outlook by using group pressure to conform them.
To test his theory Asch used experimental research in which he used pairs of cards, one
that depicted three different vertical lines at different lengths which was the dependent variable,
the other had a single line the same length as one of the other three lines on the other card which
is the independent variable. The participants were asked to determine which line seemed to be
the same as the standard line a few different times and everyone answered correctly. During the
last round the card was changed, the other participants all give the same wrong answer and its
the last participants turn, even though they know the correct answer them seem to agree with the
majority. Why is this? There were eight participants, seven of them were not participants but
were working with Asch, they posed as the control group for the experiment and the one other
volunteer posed as the experimental group of the experiment. The results of the experiment
showed that 75% of participants went along with the groups incorrect consensus at least once
that seemed to be about one third of the time. (Hock pg. 294)

Chas Wakeman
Psychology 211
3/24/2015
Aschs research findings are important to our world because it opens up the opportunity
to visualize the concept of conformity happening right before us. This knowledge can be used for
example, when youre in a group conversation with your friends or coworkers and you recognize
that some individuals are in fact agreeing or going along with what the majority of what the
group agrees on just to feel accepted and not be looked at as an outcast or be viewed differently
because of their individual thoughts and opinions. In the textbook Psychology by Saundra K.
Ciccarelli explains that in a later experiment by Asch, he concludes that conformity is greatly
decreased if there is only one other person to conform to, the bigger the group the more pressure
there is to conform. Also, according to the article Conformity in Teenagers by the Global Post
many teenagers are exposed to extreme conformity to society and their peers, stating that teens
struggle to define themselves as individuals and to find their place in the world. This process
often involves rejecting social norms and standards. (Erikson, Erik Global Post)
Personally, I can use this knowledge to further more visualize and recognize conformity
happening because it is something that happens around us every day without us even realizing it.
Also, I feel that knowing the concept of conformity can promote more individual thinking and
opinions based off of what I personally believe, not what the people around me think.

Works Cited
Ciccarelli, Saundra, and Noland J. White. Psychology. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Chas Wakeman
Psychology 211
3/24/2015
Hock, R. Roger. Forty Studies that Changed Psychology. Upper City River, New Jersey: Pearson
Education Inc., 2013.
Demand Media, Lisa Fritscher. Global Post. N.P. N.D Accessed 3/24/15.
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/conformity-teenagers-2480.html