Final answer:
In the Asch experiment, participants conformed primarily due to normative influence, which involves conforming to avoid ridicule and to fit in with the group.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the Asch experiment, participants conformed by selecting the wrong answer because of normative influence. This type of social influence explains why participants conformed: they did so because they wanted to fit in and avoid ridicule, even when the answer was obvious and the task was simple. This phenomenon highlights the power of social pressures and the desire for social acceptance over making independent judgments.
Informational influence, by contrast, occurs when people conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, especially in ambiguous situations. However, in the Asch experiment, informational influence was not the primary cause of conformity, as the line judgment task was unambiguous.
Thus, the correct answer to the student's question is 4) normative influence, which is the component of conformity that best explains the results of the Asch experiments.