Subjects in Asch's line-judgment experiment conformed to the group standard when their judgments were observed by others but not when they were made in private. This tendency to conform in public demonstrates

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Normative social influence is the influence of other people that comes from the desire to avoid their disapproval or to gain their approval. Asch's line-judgment experiment demonstrated that people conformed to the group standard when their judgments were observed by others, suggesting that normative social influence was at play. However, when they made judgments in private, there was no longer the pressure to conform to the group standard and thus they were less likely to conform.

Subjects in Asch's Line-Judgment Experiment Conformed to the Group Standard