Collaborator Status, Subject Characteristics, and Conformity in the Asch Paradigm

Summary In an investigation of the level of laboratory conformity, it was hypothesized that (a) externals would conform at higher levels than internals and (b) Ss would conform more to high status collaborators than to peers. A total of 40 undergraduates, 20 male and 20 female, participated. The procedures were those of a modified Asch conformity study. The Ss completed Rotter's Locus of Control scale independently of the experimental procedure. Subsequently, collaborator status was manipulated to create high and low status conditions. The experimental results support hypotheses relating locus of control and status of the collaborators to conformity. A significant interaction effect between sex and status of collaborators suggests that status was a more salient variable for males.