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bbleeker comments on Cross-Cultural maps and Asch's Conformity Experiment - Less Wrong Discussion
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I think it probably matters a lot what people are conforming about. If it's about perception (which line is the same, which color is different) and several people all say the same thing that's different from what I thought I saw, I can see myself starting to doubt my perception. If it's about memory (what is the capital of Rumania?) I'd start thinking I must have misremembered. But if 4 people all said that 2+2=5, I'd realise the experiment wasn't about what they said it was.
Baring a fault in our visual cortex or optical systems - an optical illusion, in other words - how is determining that Black is Black or that two lines are the same length any different from mathematical statements? There's a bit in the sequences on why 2+2=4 isn't exactly an unconditional truth. The thought processes that go into both include checking your perceptions, checking your memory, and checking reality.
Maybe 2+2=4 is too simple an example, though; it would be downright Orwellian to stand in a room and listen to a group of people declare that 2+2=5. On the other hand, imagine standing in a room with a bunch of people claiming that there aren't an infinite amount of prime numbers - it might be easier to doubt your own perceptions.
Anyone else want to weigh in on this? Does Asch's methodology effect conformity?