A researcher replicates Asch's line-judgment task. Confederates unanimously give an obviously wrong answer before the real participant responds. Across 18 trials, the participant conforms on 9 of them. In a second condition, one confederate gives the correct answer; conformity drops sharply.
The drop in conformity when one confederate dissents most directly demonstrates the power of:
- A
Diffusion of responsibility
- B
Self-serving bias
- Ccheck_circle
Social support reducing normative pressure
- D
Cognitive dissonance reduction
Explanation
Asch found that even a single ally dramatically reduces conformity by breaking the unanimity that drives normative social influence. The participant no longer fears being the lone deviant.