The effects of gender on an individual’s level of conformity: a modification of the Asch experiment
Abstract
Both males and females readily conform their judgments and actions to peer groups, which has been recognised as advantageous (Haun & Tomasello, 2011). What we wanted to know, however, was whether males or females conformed more often. In this experiment, we replicated the Asch conformity experiment whilst focusing on differences in gender. We examined these inter-gendered differences in a sample of 100 undergraduate students of Monash University. Participants will complete the Asch (1951) line study, using the fMORI technique (Mori, 2007), in same-sex groups of four. It is predicted that males will conform less than females, therefore …show more content…
Some experiments showed no conformity at all, where others have showed highly inconsistent results. One potential cause of these inconsistencies may be the confederates used in said studies. Some individuals may be able to perceive the presence of the “participants” in the study, who may tip the true participant off to the genuine purpose of the study (Mori & Arai, 2010). These detections may be a leading reason for the differences seen in the results across different conformity experiments. A new technique to potentially overcome this issue is the MORI technique, Manipulation of Overlapping Rivalrous Images using polarizing filters (Mori, 2007). This technique permits experimenters to show to different images to an audience without them being aware of its duality (Mori & Arai, 2010). This technology has allowed experiments such as that of Asch (1951) without the use of confederates. This technology was used in this experiment, to attempt to get accurate representations of the conformity of the participants, whilst also observing the effect of gender against social …show more content…
The standard line appeared on the left of the screen and will be 5 to 25cm long, around the same length as on the cards used in Asch (1951). The three comparison lines were also replicated in the same length as those of Asch (1951). They were of various lengths, one being the same length as the standard and the other two approximately 2.5cms longer or shorter.
The neutral trials showed three of the nine stimulus sets with no difference in the stimuli that were presented to the minority and majority viewers. In the Asch (1951) experiments, these neutral sets were shown to have correct answers from the confederates. The other six sets were used in the critical tasks in which the standard lines would appear differently to the minority viewer than to the majority viewers. Using the fMORI (Mori, 2007) technique, in these critical sets, the standard lines would either have a top of magenta or green, so that the minority and majority participants would see them
Abstract
Both males and females readily conform their judgments and actions to peer groups, which has been recognised as advantageous (Haun & Tomasello, 2011). What we wanted to know, however, was whether males or females conformed more often. In this experiment, we replicated the Asch conformity experiment whilst focusing on differences in gender. We examined these inter-gendered differences in a sample of 100 undergraduate students of Monash University. Participants will complete the Asch (1951) line study, using the fMORI technique (Mori, 2007), in same-sex groups of four. It is predicted that males will conform less than females, therefore …show more content…
Some experiments showed no conformity at all, where others have showed highly inconsistent results. One potential cause of these inconsistencies may be the confederates used in said studies. Some individuals may be able to perceive the presence of the “participants” in the study, who may tip the true participant off to the genuine purpose of the study (Mori & Arai, 2010). These detections may be a leading reason for the differences seen in the results across different conformity experiments. A new technique to potentially overcome this issue is the MORI technique, Manipulation of Overlapping Rivalrous Images using polarizing filters (Mori, 2007). This technique permits experimenters to show to different images to an audience without them being aware of its duality (Mori & Arai, 2010). This technology has allowed experiments such as that of Asch (1951) without the use of confederates. This technology was used in this experiment, to attempt to get accurate representations of the conformity of the participants, whilst also observing the effect of gender against social …show more content…
The standard line appeared on the left of the screen and will be 5 to 25cm long, around the same length as on the cards used in Asch (1951). The three comparison lines were also replicated in the same length as those of Asch (1951). They were of various lengths, one being the same length as the standard and the other two approximately 2.5cms longer or shorter.
The neutral trials showed three of the nine stimulus sets with no difference in the stimuli that were presented to the minority and majority viewers. In the Asch (1951) experiments, these neutral sets were shown to have correct answers from the confederates. The other six sets were used in the critical tasks in which the standard lines would appear differently to the minority viewer than to the majority viewers. Using the fMORI (Mori, 2007) technique, in these critical sets, the standard lines would either have a top of magenta or green, so that the minority and majority participants would see them