Subjects, in a group situation with answers being given in the presence of others, were asked to indicate the number of times the light moved. While there was actually no movement of the light, all subjects did report an estimated number of moves. In the Asch line experiment, the subjects were to judge which of three lines was the same length as the standard line. The lines were very easy to distinguish and if tested on their own observers made few if any errors. When they were tested in a group and most or all of the rest of the group gave the wrong answer, the subjects were more likely to conform and also give the wrong answer. In situations like these, it seems that we tend to use other people's views or opinions as a guideline for our own response and behavior, whether or not we believe them to be accurate. .
Sometimes behavior is determined by a direct order from one person to another. Obedience involves agreeing to a specific demand made by someone perceived to be an authority figure, regardless of whether or not that person has the power to enforce the demand. Milgram's classic experiment studies how obedience to an authority figure influences behavior, even if the requested order will cause harm to another person. Subjects responded to a newspaper ad to participate in the experiment and were paid a small amount of money for their participation, which in turn created a contract, so to speak, with the experimenter to follow his instructions. Subjects, the teachers, were to administer increasingly higher voltage shocks to the learners" when an incorrect answer to a question was given. Particular attention was paid to how high of a voltage shock the subjects would administer given the learner's response to the previous shocks, (i.e. shouting or kicking the wall which could be heard by the subject), and the direct orders from the experimenter, indicating that their cooperation was essential to the experiment.