knight - resisting social influence Flashcards
What does social influence include?
Obedience and conformity
What are the two explanations for resisting social influence?
1) social support
2) locus of control
What is social support?
The presence of people who resist the pressure to conform or obey and help other to do the same
Why can social support help people resist social influence?
- provides a role model and an ally
- increases confidence and allows individuals to remain independent
- NSI and ISI is reduced
- legitimacy of authority is reduced
What are some evaluations for social support?
+ real world evidence
-> Albrecht et al (2006) evaluated an 8 week programme designed to help pregnant teens to resist peer pressure to smoke - when socal support was provided by a slightly older buddy - the participants were significantly less likely to smoke than in a control group
-> giving people social support increases resistance to social influence
+ research evidence for the role of social support in resisting both conformity and obedience
-> conformity - Asch: when a dissenter was introduced, conformity levels dropped to 5.5%
-> obedience - Milgram: when a dissenter was introduced, obedience levels dropped to 10%
-> giving people social support increases resistance to social influence
What is locus of control and who is it proposed by?
Rotter (1996): extent in which people believe that they have control over their own lives
What are the types of locus of control?
1) internal
2) external
What is internal locus of control?
You are in control
What is external locus of control?
They are in control
Why are people with an internal locus of control more likely to resist social influence?
- more confident (less affected by ISI)
- less need for social approval (less affected by NSI)
What are some evaluations of locus of control?
+ supported by research evidence
-> Holland (1987) repeated Milgram’s study and measured whether participants were internal or external - 37% of nternals didn’t continue to the highest shock whereas only 27% of externals didn’t continue
-> shows that people with an internal locus of control are less likelyy to conform and obey but more likely to resist social influence
- the role of locus of control in resisting both conformity and locus of control may only be important in novel situations
-> Rotter states that in familliar situations, other factors such as past experiences might be more important that locus of control
-> shows that locus of control may not be useful to explaining resisting social influence in all situations
What are some other explanations for disobedience?
-legitimacy of system / authority
-orders given by an authority figure
-lack of proximity of the authority figure
-presence of other disobedient models
-not reocognising authority as legimitate or regading others as legimiate
What is minority social influence?
when one person or a small group can change the beliefs and behaviours of others
What are some examples of minority social influence?
-black lives matter
-hk protests 2019
-same sex marriage
-just stop oil
-me too campaign
What are the three factors affecting social influence?
1) consistency
2) commitment
3) flexibility
How does consistency affect minority social influence?
- makes people rethink their own views
- draws attention to the cause
- increases the level of interest from other people
What are the two types of consistency?
1) synchronic
2) diachronic
What is synchronic consistency?
Consistency between all members of the group
What is diachronic consistenct?
Consistency over time
What are some examples of how consistency affects minority social influence?
Use of the same symbolic slogan or action or colour
-> eg “black lives matter” or “make america great again”
How does commitment affect minority social influence?
demonstrates dedication to the cause by making personal sacrifices / engaging in extreme activities / experiencing some personal risk
-> draws attention to the cause
What is the augmentation principle?
Making something bigger
What are some examples of how commitment affects minority social influence?
- just stop oil:
protests
gluing themselves to the highway - greta thumberg:
going across the globe expressing her ideology - petitions / mps
How does flexibility affect minority social influence?
more likely to engage with the cause
What are some examples of how flexibility affects minority social influence?
- listening and considering valid alternative counter arguments and opposing views
- be adaptable and prepared to compromise
What is the snowball effect?
gradual process where more people accept the minority view
- deeper processing by people
How does social change occur?
Through minority social influence
What is the study investigating consistency?
Moscivici (1969): a consistent minority could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer in a colour perception task
What are the findings of Moscovivi’s study?
Consistent condition:
two confederates said that all 36 slides were green - participants agreed on 8.4% of the trial
Inconsistent condition:
the confederates said that 24 of the slides were green and 12 were blue - participants only agreed on 1.25% of the trials
What does Moscovici’s study show about consistency?
Tiny change (snowball effect) but gradually (with consistency), social change occurs
What is an evaluation for consistency as a factor affecting minority social influence?
+ supported by research
-> Moscovici’s blue slide green slide study showed that a consistent minority opinion has a greater effect on changing the views of other people than an inconsistent minority
What is an evaluation for commitment as a factor affecting minority social influence?
+ supported by real life events
-> Just stop oil glued themselves to highways, ruined masterpieces in museums, got on top of the london tube just to raise awareness of the issue they campaign - they were successful in grabbing the attention of the public, media and the government by the radical and impressive actions
-> showing commitment to a minority view is more likely to lead to social change
