Opinions and Social Pressure
In the passage, “Opinions and Social Pressure,” social psychologist Solomon Asch conducted a study to discover the influences that a majority may have on an individual. Asch discovered a vast amount of people conformed under group pressure, and discovered that others may also go against the unanimous majority. Asch wanted to find how group pressure effected individuals and wanted to discover the reach on which social forces played on people’s decisions.
One hundred and twenty three male college students were involved in the study. Participants were shown a series of tests about lines. All participants were told to answer unanimously before the trials began, except for one person out of the group. That person was the focus of the study. His answers gave insights to the role social pressure plays on people’s decisions. The study showed, when given at least two people who answered incorrectly, it drastically swayed the opinion of the chosen individual. It caused that person to answer incorrectly by only a slight amount. Given three people or more would cause the effects of social pressure to remain fairly consistent.
When asked why some of the participants went along with the group, they felt that a unanimous answer from the group should be followed by the same answer from themselves. Some test subjects didn’t want to ruin the results. Others thought they were being fooled by tricks. Also, individuals even thought they were the ones who were at fault. They felt as if
Something was wrong about them and they didn’t want the group to know about it. Those who were not affected by social pressure were shocked by the amounts of wrong answers given. They knew they had to trust their own judgment. Individuals who acted independently were non-conformists. The results of the study showed a larger result for individuals to conform while under group pressure. It also showed participants managed to remain independent and not affected by group pressure. Solomon Asch
One hundred and twenty three male college students were involved in the study. Participants were shown a series of tests about lines. All participants were told to answer unanimously before the trials began, except for one person out of the group. That person was the focus of the study. His answers gave insights to the role social pressure plays on people’s decisions. The study showed, when given at least two people who answered incorrectly, it drastically swayed the opinion of the chosen individual. It caused that person to answer incorrectly by only a slight amount. Given three people or more would cause the effects of social pressure to remain fairly consistent.
When asked why some of the participants went along with the group, they felt that a unanimous answer from the group should be followed by the same answer from themselves. Some test subjects didn’t want to ruin the results. Others thought they were being fooled by tricks. Also, individuals even thought they were the ones who were at fault. They felt as if
Something was wrong about them and they didn’t want the group to know about it. Those who were not affected by social pressure were shocked by the amounts of wrong answers given. They knew they had to trust their own judgment. Individuals who acted independently were non-conformists. The results of the study showed a larger result for individuals to conform while under group pressure. It also showed participants managed to remain independent and not affected by group pressure. Solomon Asch