Final answer:
Solomon Asch's experiments in the 1950s explored conformity within groups, showing that social pressure can lead individuals to go against their own perceptions. The Asch effect demonstrates how group majority can influence individual judgment, and how factors like group size and unanimity can affect conformity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The studies conducted by psychologist Solomon Asch in the 1950s focused on the concept of conformity and how individuals often conform to group pressure. Asch's experiments showed that when faced with unanimous group opinion that was clearly incorrect, subjects would often give the wrong answer to fit in with the group. The Asch effect refers to the influence of a group majority on an individual's judgment. Through his research, Asch identified factors such as majority size, presence of another dissenter, and whether the response was public or private, which could influence the level of conformity.
Asch's most notable experiment involved displaying a series of line segments and asking participants to match the length of a fourth line to one of the first three. With planted respondents giving wrong answers on purpose, Asch found that participants often conformed to the incorrect majority. This tendency reduced when they could write their answers privately. Asch concluded that the desire to be liked by the group or to believe in the group's better knowledge were primary causes of conformity.