Explanations of resistance to social influence

Question 1

define ‘locus of control’

Answer 1

• a measurement of an individual’s sense of control over their lives
  eg. to what extent they feel that events in their lives are under their own personal control, versus under the control of other external powers like fate

Question 2

what is an internal LOC?

Answer 2

behaviour is caused by their own personal decisions and effort

Question 3

what is an external LOC?

Answer 3

behaviour is caused by luck or fate

Question 4

why do people with an internal LOC conform and obey less?

Answer 4

• they take more responsibility for their own actions
• see themselves as having more control than someone with a high external locus of control
• so are more likely to make decisions based on their own moral code, as opposed to someone else’s.

Question 5

why do people with an external LOC conform and obey more?

Answer 5

• they believe that the majority of their life events are beyond their control
• this means that they are more likely to act on behalf of another (i.e. as their agent) and shift responsibility onto this individual

Question 6

define social support

Answer 6

• the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same
• theres also a diffusion of responsibility- if you are not the only one resisting you won’t be the only one blamed/in trouble/standing out

Question 7

what is a strength of social support? (PEE)
-research support

Answer 7

eg. Allen and Levine found independence increased
with one dissenter in an Asch-type study. Even if the dissenter wore thick glasses and said he had problems with his vision.
TMB it shows that just one ally is enough for someone to resist majority

Question 8

what is a strength of social support? (PEE)
- further research support

Answer 8

eg. Rees and Wallace found higher levels of alcohol
drinking in teens who had friends who also drunk. However
they also found that teens who had one or two friends who
didn’t were less likely to drink themselves.
TMB it shows that social support is linked to greater resistance

Question 9

what is a limitation of locus of control? (PEE)
- contradictory evidence

Answer 9

eg. Twenge et al analysed data from American obedience studies over a 40-year period. The data showed that people have become more resistant to obedience but more external.
TMB it challenges the link between internal LOC + resistance

Question 10

what is a strength of locus of control? (PEE)
- research support

Answer 10

eg. Holland repeated Milgram’s study and measured whether ppts were internals or externals
* 37% of internals did not continue to the highest shock level
* (they showed independence)
* Only 23% of externals did not continue
TMB it increases validity