What role did the confederates play in Asch’s Line Study?

In Asch's Line Study, the confederates played a crucial role by intentionally giving predetermined incorrect answers. This was designed to test the influence of group pressure on an individual's responses. By providing incorrect answers, the confederates created a situation where the real participant, who was unaware that the others were not genuine participants, could experience social pressure to conform to the group's incorrect consensus.

The effectiveness of the study partially stems from this deliberate manipulation, as it enabled Asch to observe how often individuals would conform to clearly wrong answers when faced with the unanimous choice of the group. This setup was pivotal in demonstrating the impact of social influence and the tendency for individuals to conform, even when they clearly knew the correct answer.