In Asch's social pressure experiment, when the confederates said that a 6-inch line is equal to an 8-inch line, most real participants __________.

A) did not yield
B) yielded, but were sure that the group was wrong even though they pretended to agree
C) yielded, and were not sure who was right even though they still saw the 8-inch line as bigger than the 6-inch line
D) yielded, because the group pressure changed their perception so that they saw the 8-inch line as equal to the 6-inch line

Question

Courtney Griffin · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  Asch found that most real participants (about 75%) yielded to the group's incorrect judgment at least once, but many of them were unsure of the group's decision and only gave in to social pressure. In other words, they knew the group was wrong and still saw the lines correctly (i.e., the 8-inch line as longer), but went along with the majority to avoid social rejection or doubt their own perception. This suggests that conformity can be driven by normative influence (the desire to fit in and avoid being judged) rather than informational influence (the need to rely on others for accurate information). Only a minority of participants (about 25%) did not conform at all and stuck to their own judgment.

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