History
During the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch conducted a series of experiments known as the Asch conformity experiments that demonstrated the impact of social pressure on individual behavior. In Asch’s classic experiment, participants were told that they were in an experiment on vision. With a group of other people, they were asked to look at three lines of different lengths and determine which one was the longest. Participants were then placed with a group that they thought included other subjects in the study. In reality, the other individuals were actually confederates in the experiment. After a few trials where everyone stated the correct answer, the confederates all began choosing an incorrect answer. So how did the real participants respond when the other individuals in the group chose the wrong line as the correct response? How do you think that you or your peers would react in a similar situation? If you are looking for a psychology experiment you can do for a class consider creating your own variation of the Asch conformity experiment.
Example
One way to envision your own experiment is to consider some of the conformity experiments that have been performed in the past. Historical research as well as more recent variations can help you better determine how you might want to conduct your own experiment. Imagine this scenario: You’re in a math class, and the instructor asks a basic math question. What is 8 x 4? The teacher begins asking individual students in the room for the answer. You are surprised when the first student answers 27. Then the next student answers 27. And the next! When the teacher finally comes to you, do you trust your own math skills and say 32? Or do you go along with what the rest of the group seems to believe is the correct answer?
Other Versions
One conformity experiment was performed on the TV show Candid Camera and involved a group of people on an elevator who all stood facing the rear of the elevator. Inevitably, everyone else who got on ended up also facing the rear so as not to stand out from the rest. One young man even turned repeatedly to every side along with the rest of the group and took off his hat when the others did.
Ideas
The following are just a few ideas of questions you could answer in your own psychology experiment:
Having a group of people stare up at a buildingPicketing with blank signs and pamphlets for no specific causeWhen one student leaves the classroom, the teacher has everyone else stand up when the student returns and sits down
How does group size impact conformity? Try the experiment with different numbers of confederates, or helpers, to see how many other people must be present before a person starts conforming to the group.What effect does age have on conformity? Try the experiment with participants in different age groups to see if the results differ.What impact does gender have on conformity? Is a participant more likely to conform if other participants are of their same gender? What are the results if no other participants share their gender?How does the situation influence conformity? Are people more likely to conform in certain settings, such as a classroom, than they are in more natural, everyday settings? Run trials in different settings to see if there is a difference.
Additional Advice
Performing a psychology experiment for class can be a bit intimidating. Before you begin, always talk about your experiment idea with your instructor and be sure that you have permission to carry out your project. In some cases, you will probably need to submit your idea for review beforehand in order to receive permission to experiment with human participants.
