Solomon Asch
Solomon Asch - Related Videos
08:55
A Minority of One: Conformity to Group Norms
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2023
Source: William Brady & Jay Van Bavel—New York University It is obvious that we are influenced by those around us, but in the early to mid 1900's, psychologists began to study how potent social influence can be on our thoughts and behaviors. Motivated in part by attempts to explain the behaviors of Nazi soldiers in World War II, one topic of considerable interest at the time in psychology was conformity, the phenomenon in which people match their attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs to group...
10:13
Measuring G-protein-coupled Receptor Signaling via Radio-labeled GTP Binding
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Cited by 11 •
2017
Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) binding is one of the earliest events in G-Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) activation. This protocol describes how to pharmacologically characterize specific GPCR-ligand interactions by monitoring the binding of the radio-labeled GTP analog, [35S]guanosine-5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate ([35S]GTPγS), in response to a ligand of interest.
09:49
Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
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Cited by 3 •
2015
This applied experimental paradigm replicates circumstances by which an eyewitness to a real crime may create a holistic facial composite of the culprit from memory, and then attempt to identify the culprit from a video line-up containing the culprit or one in which he or she is not present.
08:09
Isolation of Chondrocytes and Chondroprogenitors Using Fibronectin Adhesion and Migratory Assay
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Cited by 5 •
2024
This protocol details the isolation of chondrocytes, Fibronectin Adhesion Assay-derived Chondroprogenitors (FAA-CPs), and Migratory Chondroprogenitors (MCPs) from human articular cartilage. It covers enzymatic digestion, fibronectin adhesion, and migration-based assays for isolating and characterizing these cells.
05:54
MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy for Patients with Medically-refractory Essential Tremor
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Cited by 16 •
2017
High-intensity MRI guided focused ultrasound is an emerging noninvasive technique to precisely ablate brain tissue. It has been shown to be safe and effective in treating medically-refractory essential tremor. This article describes the protocol for thalamotomy from patient selection to equipment setup to post-treatment follow-up.
FAQs
Unanimity made the group’s incorrect response appear to represent a shared judgment rather than an isolated disagreement. Because several confederates gave the same answer, the participant faced consistent social pressure while evaluating the line comparison. This arrangement helped Asch examine how perceived group consensus could influence an individual’s willingness to maintain an independent judgment.
Perceived consensus could make participants question or alter their own visual judgment, even when the comparison task was straightforward. The important mechanism was not a change in the lines themselves, but the social context surrounding the decision. Asch’s findings therefore connected conformity with group dynamics, peer influence, and the interpretation of other people’s agreement.
The experiments show that conformity and independent thinking can compete during a shared decision. Participants had to choose whether to report the judgment suggested by the group or preserve their own assessment of the target line. This tension made the research useful for studying how social pressure affects behavior without eliminating the possibility of resistance.
Participants viewed a target line alongside three alternative lines and identified the alternative that matched the target. Confederates in the group deliberately announced the same incorrect answer, creating a controlled instance of group pressure. Researchers then examined whether the participant followed the group’s response or gave an independent answer based on the visual comparison.
The task measured whether participants conformed to a group response when that response conflicted with the apparent result of their own line comparison. Its outcome was the participant’s behavioral choice: accepting the group’s incorrect judgment or maintaining an independent judgment. This made the experiment a focused way to examine social pressure and perceived consensus.
Asch’s research remains relevant because it provides a framework for understanding how group pressure can shape decisions beyond the laboratory. Its implications extend to group dynamics, peer influence, decision-making, and organizational settings where perceived agreement may affect behavior. The work also draws attention to conditions that support resistance to conformity and preserve independent judgment.