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Independent Thought is Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo

 

            In the late 19th century psychologists began to research suggestibility .
             During the dawning of this new form .
             of social psychology researchers found people would change their .
             convictions after being confronted with an authority figure opposing .
             their ideals. Were their findings true? That is the question Solomon .
             E. Asch set out to answer when he began his experiments in the 1950s. .
             His essay Opinions and Social Pressure is an effective paper because .
             it is clearly written and objective.
             Aschs experiments, completed in response to the findings of .
             psychologist, Edward L. Thorndike, who claimed to have succeeded in .
             modifying the esthetic preferences of adults, by challenging them with .
             an opposing majority of peers or some form of authority figure. Asch .
             wanted to determine if this was accurate. His methods of determining .
             this were simple: a group of college students would be shown two cards; .
             on the first card a single line was drawn and on the second card three .
             lines were drawn of varying lengths with one line the same length as the .
             line on the first card. The control group was instructed on how to .
             answer, while an individual was left oblivious and instructed to choose .
             the line from the second card that was of the same length as the line on .
             the first card. The test given to see how the individual would answer .
             when the control group was instructed to give incorrect responses. The .
             experiments varied by the number in the control group but, the results .
             illustrated a similar pattern that a significant percentage of the .
             individuals would succumb to the majority and answer incorrectly. .
             Astonishingly Asch claims, Even when the difference between the lines .
             was seven inches, there were still some who yielded to the error of the .
             majority. .
             Written in the 1950s, Opinions and Social Pressure explains why Asch .
             conducted his research, how his experiments were performed, and to .
             report his conclusion.


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