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Abrams Et Al
Abrams Et Al
conform. The researchers used the basic procedure of the Asch paradigm
(though they used computers and projected the lines!), but they looked at the
role of in-groups and out-groups on the naïve participant’s behaviour.
Evaluation
The situation in which the participants found themselves was highly artificial.
The study has low ecological validity and may not predict what would happen
in a naturalistic situation.
There are ethical concerns about the use of deception.
The manipulation of the independent variable and the high level of control in
the experiment allows us to see a causal relationship between group
membership and the dependent variable - the rate of conformity to an
incorrect response.
The study was made up of university students, so the results may be difficult to
generalize. Remember that samples of university students tend to be YAVIS:
young, affluent, verbal, intelligent and social.
The study was done in an individualistic society. It is culturally biased.
The study isolates a single variable in order to test its role in conformity;
however, in real life there may be several variables that interact to determine
conformity behaviours.