Reply to classmates

Chapter 5 COLLAPSE The Asch experiment showed how participants were asked to compare the length of lines. The correct answer was obviou everyone else in the group intentionally gave the wrong answer. Many participants followed the group and gave the wrong answer, even when they knew it was wrong. They did not want to stand out or be the only one to disagree. This shows how people will go along with others just to fit in, even if it means ignoring what they know is true. As the textbook explains, part of a group can change our behavior in ways we would not expect. The milligram experiment tested how far people would go when told to obey authority. Participants thought they were givi real electric shocks to someone for getting answers wrong. An authority figure-a man in a lab coat instructed them to keep going, and most of them did, even when the person being shocked seemed to be in pain. The person wasn't being shocked, the participant didn't know that, showing how powerful authority can be. People may do something they normally wouldn just because someone else told them to. The book's example of hazing also connects to this. It shows how people will follow harmful traditions or instructions to belong or follow the rules, even if they feel uncomfortable doing it. Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. The Real World An Introduction to Sociology 9th Edition. W.W. Norton & Company 2024