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Extra Connection #2: Solomon Asch's Study and Milgram's Experiment

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Extra Connection #2: Solomon Asch's Study and Milgram's Experiment

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To understand how what gives someone the strength to resist conformity, we must understand the scenarios in which people struggle the most. The first place to look is Solomon Asch's study of conformity. Asch brought in a group of five participants, four of which were in on the experiment (confederates). Participants were shown three line segments of different lengths, and were then shown a fourth segment. The fourth segment was the same length as one in the first group, and participants were asked to make this connection. The four confederates purposely answered the question with the wrong line segment, and then the participant was asked to say their opinion. You would think that many would go with the answers that are obviously correct, however you would be wrong in thinking that. 76% percent of participants conformed to those around them at least one time in the study. This shows that even when people know something is wrong, they will conform because of the group around them.

Another study that connects to conformity in the Salem Witch Trials is Stanley Milgram's Experiment on obedience. Milgram ran an experiment where the participant was told to give a spark of electricity to the learner who was answering the questions every time they answered wrong (the learner was in on the experiment). With each question, the voltage was raised. In the room with the participant was a person wearing a white coat acting as the authority figure. This person would say things to the participant that guided them into continuing with the shocks. Milgram found that 65% of participants proceeded to give shocks even when their learner was unconscious. This study proves that an authority figure and someone's obedience to them is also what causes people to conform. It makes people do things they they would never do, and creates hysteria.

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Learning Objectives

Describe the results of research on conformity, and distinguish between normative and informational social influence.

Describe Stanley Milgram's experiment and its implications

Conformity

Solomon Asch conducted several experiments in the 1950s to determine how people are affected by the thoughts and behaviors of other people. In one study, a group of participants was shown a series of printed line segments of different lengths: a, b, and c (Figure 1). Participants were then shown a fourth line segment: x. They were asked to identify which line segment from the first group (a, b, or c) most closely resembled the fourth line segment in length.

Each group of participants had only one true, naïve subject. The remaining members of the group were confederates of the researcher. A confederate is a person who is aware of the experiment and works for the researcher. Confederates are used to manipulate social situations as part of the research design, and the true, naïve participants believe that confederates are, like them, uninformed participants in the experiment. In Asch's study, the confederates identified a line segment that was obviously shorter than the target line-a wrong answer. The naïve participant then had to identify aloud the line segment that best matched the target line segment.

How often do you think the true participant aligned with the confederates' response? That is, how often do you think the group influenced the participant, and the participant gave the wrong answer? Asch (1955) found that 76% of participants conformed to group pressure at least once by indicating the incorrect line. Conformity is the change in a person's behavior to go along with the group, even if he does not agree with the group. Why would people give the wrong answer? What factors would increase or decrease someone giving in or conforming to group pressure?

The Asch effect is the influence of the group majority on an individual's judgment.

What factors make a person more likely to yield to group pressure? Research shows that the size of the majority, the presence of another dissenter, and the public or relatively private nature of responses are key influences on conformity.

The size of the majority: The greater the number of people in the majority, the more likely an individual will conform. There is, however, an upper limit: a point where adding more members does not increase conformity. In Asch's study, conformity increased with the number of people in the majority-up to seven individuals. At numbers beyond seven, conformity leveled off and decreased slightly (Asch, 1955).

The presence of another dissenter: If there is at least one dissenter, conformity rates drop to near zero (Asch, 1955).

The public or private nature of the responses: When responses are made publicly (in front of others), conformity is more likely; however, when responses are made privately (e.g., writing down the response), conformity is less likely (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955).

The finding that conformity is more likely to occur when responses are public than when they are private is the reason government elections require voting in secret, so we are not coerced by others (Figure 2). The Asch effect can be easily seen in children when they have to publicly vote for something. For example, if the teacher asks whether the children would rather have extra recess, no homework, or candy, once a few children vote, the rest will comply and go with the majority. In a different classroom, the majority might vote differently, and most of the children would comply with that majority. When someone's vote changes if it is made in public versus private, this is known as compliance. Compliance can be a form of conformity. Compliance is going along with a request or demand, even if you do not agree with the request. In Asch's studies, the participants complied by giving the wrong answers, but privately did not accept that the obvious wrong answers were correct.

Now that you have learned about the Asch line experiments, why do you think the participants conformed? The correct answer to the line segment question was obvious, and it was an easy task. Researchers have categorized the motivation to conform into two types: normative social influence and informational social influence (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955).

In normative social influence, people conform to the group norm to fit in, to feel good, and to be accepted by the group. However, with informational social influence, people conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, particularly when the task or situation is ambiguous. What type of social influence was operating in the Asch conformity studies? Since the line judgment task was unambiguous, participants did not need to rely on the group for information. Instead, participants complied to fit in and avoid ridicule, an instance of normative social influence.

An example of informational social influence may be what to do in an emergency situation. Imagine that you are in a movie theater watching a film and what seems to be smoke comes in the theater from under the emergency exit door. You are not certain that it is smoke-it might be a special effect for the movie, such as a fog machine. When you are uncertain you will tend to look at the behavior of others in the theater. If other people show concern and get up to leave, you are likely to do the same. However, if others seem unconcerned, you are likely to stay put and continue watching the movie (Figure 3).

How would you have behaved if you were a participant in Asch's study? Many students say they would not conform, that the study is outdated, and that people nowadays are more independent. To some extent this may be true. Research suggests that overall rates of conformity may have reduced since the time of Asch's research. Furthermore, efforts to replicate Asch's study have made it clear that many factors determine how likely it is that someone will demonstrate conformity to the group. These factors include the participant's age, gender, and socio-cultural background (Bond & Smith, 1996; Larsen, 1990; Walker & Andrade, 1996).

Stanley Milgram's Experiment

Conformity is one effect of the influence of others on our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Another form of social influence is obedience to authority. Obedience is the change of an individual's behavior to comply with a demand by an authority figure. People often comply with the request because they are concerned about a consequence if they do not comply. To demonstrate this phenomenon, we review another classic social psychology experiment.

Stanley Milgram was a social psychology professor at Yale who was influenced by the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal. Eichmann's defense for the atrocities he committed was that he was "just following orders." Milgram (1963) wanted to test the validity of this defense, so he designed an experiment and initially recruited 40 men for his experiment. The volunteer participants were led to believe that they were participating in a study to improve learning and memory. The participants were told that they were to teach other students (learners) correct answers to a series of test items. The participants were shown how to use a device that they were told delivered electric shocks of different intensities to the learners. The participants were told to shock the learners if they gave a wrong answer to a test item-that the shock would help them to learn. The participants gave (or believed they gave) the learners shocks, which increased in 15-volt increments, all the way up to 450 volts. The participants did not know that the learners were confederates and that the confederates did not actually receive shocks.

In response to a string of incorrect answers from the learners, the participants obediently and repeatedly shocked them. The confederate learners cried out for help, begged the participant teachers to stop, and even complained of heart trouble. Yet, when the researcher told the participant-teachers to continue the shock, 65% of the participants continued the shock to the maximum voltage and to the point that the learner became unresponsive (Figure 4). What makes someone obey authority to the point of potentially causing serious harm to another person?

Several variations of the original Milgram experiment were conducted to test the boundaries of obedience. When certain features of the situation were changed, participants were less likely to continue to deliver shocks (Milgram, 1965). For example, when the setting of the experiment was moved to an office building, the percentage of participants who delivered the highest shock dropped to 48%. When the learner was in the same room as the teacher, the highest shock rate dropped to 40%. When the teachers' and learners' hands were touching, the highest shock rate dropped to 30%. When the researcher gave the orders by phone, the rate dropped to 23%. These variations show that when the humanity of the person being shocked was increased, obedience decreased. Similarly, when the authority of the experimenter decreased, so did obedience.

This case is still very applicable today. What does a person do if an authority figure orders something done? What if the person believes it is incorrect, or worse, unethical? In a study by Martin and Bull (2008), midwives privately filled out a questionnaire regarding best practices and expectations in delivering a baby. Then, a more senior midwife and supervisor asked the junior midwives to do something they had previously stated they were opposed to. Most of the junior midwives were obedient to authority, going against their own beliefs.

Link to learning

Watch a modern example of the Milgram experiment here.

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person who works for a researcher and is aware of the experiment, but who acts as a participant; used to manipulate social situations as part of the research design

when individuals change their behavior to go along with the group even if they do not agree with the group

group majority influences an individual's judgment, even when that judgment is inaccurate

change of behavior to please an authority figure or to avoid aversive consequences

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Describe the results of research on conformity, and distinguish between normative and informational social influence. Describe Stanley Milgram's experiment and its implications Solomon Asch conducted several experiments in the 1950s to determine how people are affected by the thoughts and behaviors of other people.

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Extra Connection #1: 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

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Extra Connection #1: 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

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'To Kill a Mockingbird' is another example in literature about having to persevere to resist conformity. Being in Alabama during the 1920s, segregation was very prevalent. When Tom Robinson was falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, he needed someone to defend him to try and prove his innocence. Atticus Finch agreed to do so. Atticus always preached kindness to his children and made sure they were not the ones partaking in the racism. Atticus Finch faced many opposers. The entire town was against him defending Tom Robinson just because Tom was black. They threatened Atticus and shunned him from the town. However, this never deterred Atticus from following what he believed was right. He did not conform to society, he acted individually out of empathy and basic respect for others.

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Nonfiction Connection: Modern Day 'Witch Hunts' - Cancel Culture

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Nonfiction Connection: Modern Day 'Witch Hunts' - Cancel Culture

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A metaphorical 'witch hunt' is when others in society begin to accuse and question others about different beliefs. Many believe that the modern day version of a witch hunt is Cancel Culture. This is when someone has an opinion that the internet does not agree with, and they get condemned for believing so. This has become a modern day version of the Salem Witch Trials because people can be cancelled for anything. Most of the time, the public creates a mob mentality towards an opinion, and does not let any other option be shared. If you see the other side of the opinion, you fear receiving hate online and in your everyday life. Just like when people would anonymously accuse others in Salem of partaking in witchcraft, online it becomes easier to 'cancel' someone because there is the feeling of anonymity being behind a screen. Many have lost jobs and their livelihoods over being 'cancelled' just as those who were accused of being a Witch.

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Cancel Culture: The Modern Day Witch Hunt — The Everyday

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Some people argue that cancel culture does not exist, that it is “ a myth ”. Others say that ostracism has always been present in society, that it has just changed trajectory, flipping against elites which are now upset about it. Whether or not you think of cancel culture as new phenomenon, the two

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This art applies to my question because the colorful grass is hidden within the black and white tall grass. The colorful grass can represent those who have not conformed. It is fighting its way through the tall grass to try and poke out and be seen, just as people want their opinions heard. It also applies because there are more pieces of colored than expected. When banned together as a group, it is easier to fight against conformity.

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Salem 1692 and United States 1953: Setting

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Salem 1692 and United States 1953: Setting

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"The Crucible" was written in the 1950s, which was a time of political turmoil for the United States. The United States was battling with Mccarthyism, the Red Scare, and the Cold War all at once. The Red Scare created so much fear it was overwhelming. Those who had the most to fear were artists in Hollywood. Many were accused of being Communists during the Red Scare, and were black balled from the entirety of Hollywood with their careers ruined. Arthur Miller faced this problem. He was accused of being a communist and was put on trial, however he would not name anybody when they asked who else was a conspirator. He stood his ground and faced his fear head on. Miller’s experiences inspired him to write the story of John Proctor.
The Crucible takes place in Salem in 1692, otherwise known as the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Very similar to the 1950s there was so much hysteria and fear that a single accusation of witchcraft could ruin your livelihood. Miller portrayed this through John Proctor, his wife Goody Proctor, and the other townspeople.

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Arthur Miller was born in 1915 in Manhattan, New York. He had parents who were Jewish immigrants and he watched as his father struggled through the Great Depression. Miller saved up his money and attended University of Michigan to learn more about his creative writing. Miller wrote is first play, "The Man Who Had All the Luck", in 1944, but it was not well received. In 1947, Miller's play "All My Sons" hit Broadway. Miller continued to have a successful career with the play "Death of a Salesman", winning a Pulitzer Prize and a Drama Critics Circle Award. Miller's final major work was "The Crucible" which was a modern day critique of Mccarthyism displayed through the Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller's career began to decline when he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and would not confess to Communism or name any others who were connected. He did not have many other productions until 1991 when he wrote "The Ride Down Mount Morgan" and "The Last Yankee". Through all of his plays, Miller attempted to explore the hardships of the American worker and the American dream in general. He died of heart failure in 2005.

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Arthur Miller Biography | American Masters | PBS

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All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and The Last Yankee are among the playwright’s probing dramas that reveal the unrest of the American psyche.

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I felt this poem was a great representation of what was most likely going through John Proctor's mind. Dahlen writes about if it is worth it to conform and use all your strength to do so; John Proctor had to weigh the costs. Should he be exiled from his community and hope that they do not put him do death because he fought these accusations, or should he have given in to the pressures of Salem's society and hoped that they let him turn his life around after admitting to 'Witchcraft'. It takes all the strength to be able to fight the uniformity of society.

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What gives a person the strength to resist conformity?

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What gives a person the strength to resist conformity?