Final answer:
Solomon Asch's 1956 experiments demonstrated the pressure to conform within a group, influencing individuals to go against clear evidence. Stanley Milgram's 1961 experiments delved into obedience to authority, with participants willing to commit acts against their conscience when instructed by an authority figure. Asch's research on conformity influenced Milgram's work on obedience.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychologist Solomon Asch is known for his seminal research on conformity within groups, conducted in 1956. In Asch's experiments, participants were asked to match the length of a line segment with one of three comparison line segments, in the presence of others who, unbeknownst to the true participant, were confederates giving incorrect answers. The study found that even with clear evidence to the contrary, individuals often conformed to the group majority, showcasing the pressure to conform within a small group.
Stanley Milgram, influenced by Asch's work and the trial of Adolf Eichmann, conducted his own experiments on obedience to authority in 1961. Milgram's study aimed to understand if individuals would obey authority figures and perform acts against their personal conscience. The striking result was that a significant proportion of participants were willing to administer what they believed were painful electric shocks to another person, simply because they were instructed to do so by an authority figure in a lab coat.
Both Asch and Milgram's experiments highlighted aspects of social influence and contributed to the understanding of conformity and obedience among individuals in the presence of peer pressures and authority figures.