Final answer:
Informational social influence is driven by the desire to be accurate and is likely to occur when the situation is ambiguous or when the group is seen as having expertise. In contrast, the Asch experiments demonstrated normative social influence, where participants conformed to be accepted by the group.
Step-by-step explanation:
We are subject to informational social influence because we want to be accurate in our judgments. This influence occurs when individuals conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, which is particularly likely when the task or situation is ambiguous. In the Asch conformity experiments, however, the influence at play was normative social influence, where people complied to fit in with the group and avoid ridicule, since the line judgment task was unambiguous and did not require group information to provide the correct answer.
Under conditions where an answer is unclear, and there is belief in the group's expertise, informational social influence is more likely to be observed. This contrasts with normative influence, which is driven by a desire to be liked and accepted rather than the desire for accuracy. An example of this would be during an ambiguous situation, such as when individuals in a movie theater see what appears to be smoke and look to others for cues on whether to evacuate or stay seated.