When I introduce the chapter “Social Groups” in my sociology class, I explain to my students that I’m going to conduct an experiment to examine their visual perception. Then, I conveniently ask one of my students to do me a favor which requires going to our departmental office (about a 2 minute walk). When the unsuspecting student leaves, I explain to the remaining students that the real purpose of the experiment is to exert pressure on the one missing student when s(he) returns. Then, I tell them to give me the right answer for the first 2 “trials” and the wrong answer for the last one. Once the uninformed student comes back, I show the entire class three sets of lines. For each trial, I ask students to match lines of the same length.
We’re talking college students here, so this isn’t rocket science. When I’m not prompting students to give an incorrect answer, students will make a mistake less than one-percent of the time. But when the rest of the class gives the incorrect answer, the unsuspecting student goes along almost one-half of the time. This classic experiment, similar to one conducted by Professor Solomon Asch more than 65 years ago, examines the influence of groups and the dynamic of social conformity.
Recently, the Asch experiment was used with autistic children. Researchers discovered that these children were much less likely to conform to group pressure than “typically developing children.” Studies suggest that autistic people aren’t so caught up with the idea of maintaining a certain image of themselves in the eyes of others. As the father of a child with autism, this finding didn’t surprise me at all.
For instance, my son Jimmy has taught me so much about my world, his world, and social behavior. For example, he could care less if his clothes don’t match or aren’t in fashion. He could care less if his style of dancing is unlike anything I have ever seen. And he could care less if he’s the only patron in a men’s restroom talking out loud…to himself.
So much time is spent focusing on children with autism, and specifically their shortcomings and “disorders.” By looking at the Asch Experiment in a different light, we might observe that college students who aren’t autistic are too caught up with following rules and going along with the crowd. For whatever reason, a person with autism might be more comfortable going it alone. And that can be a very good thing.
Temple Grandin, perhaps the most famous autistic individual in the world, often talks about how we need all kinds of minds, talents, and perspectives. Too often, we reward people who repeatedly do something simply because that’s what’s expected; people who embody what it means to be a “team player.” But often I’ve discovered that people who don’t necessarily go with the flow are more creative, honest, and interesting.
Please note: I am currently writing a book about my entire family and how we have grown over the years, in large part because of Jimmy. My son Jimmy is a middle-aged adult on the autism spectrum. The voices and perspectives of my son, my two daughters and wife as well as friends and professionals are included throughout. It’s a real, uplifting, and remarkable story; one which I have wanted to share for a long time. The book will be published later this year.
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