explanations of resistance to social influence Flashcards
social support
Social support - when someone else supports or agrees with us.
One of the ways that conformity can be resisted is if there is someone who already dissents (goes against everyone else).
In the Asch experiment, a variation was introduced where one of the confederates gave an answer that was different to the rest. This dropped conformity from 37% to 6%.
Conformity can also be reduced even when the dissenter doesn’t appear very competent. A researcher found that conformity dropped on a visual task even when the partner had thick glasses and admitted to sight problems.
Shows that resistance to social influence isn’t just about following what someone else says, but that it enables someone to be free from the pressures of the group.
locus of control
A researcher proposed the idea that we tend to have either an internal or external locus of control. In other words we either see ourselves in control of what happens to us (internal) or we consider ourselves to be victims of events outside of our control (external).
Rotter believes that those with an internal locus of control will be more independent and resistant to social influence.
evaluation - internal locus of control
A researcher found that those with an internal locus of control were more able to resist obedience than those with an external locus of control. Those with an internal locus of control were especially resistant if they thought that the researcher was trying to manipulate them to obey.
evaluation - Japanese people
A researcher found that Japanese people conform more easily than Americans and more Japanese people have an external locus of control.
