Final answer:
The Asch Experiment demonstrated the influence of group pressure on individual judgment through line length matching tasks, where subjects often conformed to the group's incorrect choice to avoid exclusion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the Asch Experiment
The Asch Experiment is a famous psychological study focused on the power of conformity within groups. Participants were shown a series of lines and asked to match one line with a reference line in length. Despite the correct answer being obvious, when confederates of the experimenter unanimously chose an incorrect line, many subjects conformed to this incorrect choice. The experiment demonstrated individuals' aversion to exclusion, leading them to align with the group's consensus even when it was clearly wrong.
Factors influencing conformity included the size of the majority, the presence of another individual who gave a correct response, and whether the individual’s response was public or private. With a written private response, conformity rates dropped significantly, indicating the profound effect of social pressure and fear of standing out when responses are public.