Question

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.
Ted is a confederate in the Solomon Asch experiment, which means that he is working for Asch. A college student who is not a confederate sits to Ted’s right, and to his left are four other confederates. During the experiment, the following card is displayed:
Three lines.Line A is the longest.Line B is the shortest.Line C is in between.
Solomon Asch asks each student which line is the longest. All the other confederates say that C is the longest line.
If Ted says that B is the longest line, what is the most likely response of the college student to Ted’s right?
A.
The student is likely to choose C.
B.
The student is likely to choose A.
C.
The student is likely to choose B.
D.
The student is likely to not choose any answer.

Answer 1

B. The student is most likely to choose A.

Explanation: In Asch's studies, a single dissenter (even if also wrong) greatly reduces conformity to the majority. Because Ted breaks the unanimous majority, the real participant is much more likely to give the correct answer (Line A) instead of conforming to the majority's wrong choice.