4.1.1 EXPLANATIONS OF RESISTANCE TO SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Question 1

when is resisting conformity/obedience easier?

Answer 1

• can be easier if there’s others also resisting the pressure to conform
• when someone else is also not conforming, this will appear to be social support + allows the person to follow their own conscience
• the same can be seen w resistance to obey
• if someone else is seen to disobey, it allows the person to also disobey as it challenges the legitimacy of authority

Question 2

what is the research support of Allen and Levine for resistance to conformity?

Answer 2

• found independence increased w one dissenter in an Asch-type study
• even if the dissenter wore thick glasses + said he had problems w his vision
• resistance isn’t motivated by following what someone else says but enables someone to be free of the pressure of the group
• controlled lab study too

Question 3

what is the supporting research of Gamson et al for resistance to obedience?

Answer 3

• they had to produce evidence to help an oil company run a ‘smear campaign’
  -> campaign to put bad light on other parties
• 29/33 groups of ppts (88%) rebelled
• shows that peer support is linked to greater resistance
• found higher levels of resistance in their study than Milgram
• probably because they were in groups

Question 4

what is locus of control?

Answer 4

the extent to which we believe we have control over our own behaviour and life

Question 5

what’s external and internal locus of control?

Answer 5

external locus of control = when a person feels they don’t have control over their own lives + believer their life is controlled by external factors

internal locus of control = when a person feels they have control over their own life and behaviour

Question 6

what are people with a high internal locus of control like?

Answer 6

• believed to be able to resist the pressure to conform and obey
• tend to be more self-confident, intelligent and achievement-orientated
• provides them w personality traits that give them greater resistance to social control

Question 7

what is the supporting research of Holland for resistance to obedience and locus of control?

Answer 7

• repeated Milgram’s study and measured whether ppts were internals or externals
• 37% of internals didn’t continue to the highest shock level
  (they showed independence)
• 63% of internals went to the top (that’s the majority)
  therefore doesn’t fit with the theory
• only 23% of externals didn’t continue
• internals showed greater resistance, support increases the validity of the LOC explanation + our confidence that it can explain resistance

Question 8

what is the contradictory research of Twenge et al for LOC?

Answer 8

• Twenge et al (2004) analysed data from American obedience studies over a 40-year period (1960-2002)
• The data showed that, over this time span, people have become more resistant to obedience but more external
• If resistance were linked to an internal LOC then we would expect people to have become more internal
• This challenges the link between internal LOC and resistance
• However, the results may be due to a changing society where many things are increasingly outside personal control

Question 9

what’s the contradictory research of Rotter et al for LOC

Answer 9

the role of LOC may be exaggerated

• Rotter et al (1982) found LOC is only important in new situations – it has little influence in familiar situations where previous experiences are always more important
• This does suggests that locus of control can explain only a limited range of situations in which people might resist social influence.
• This means that locus of control is not as important a factor in resistance as some have suggested