Loci of Control and Social Support* Flashcards
Who proposed the idea of Loci of control?
Rotter (1966) proposed the idea of Locus of Control.
He said it was like a continuum - everyone fit along the scale somewhere.
What are the characteristics of someone with an internal locus of control?
- Someone with an internal locus of control will believe their own fate is determined by their own actions.
- They are more likely to resist social influence
- Resist coercion from others (Hutchins and Estey).
- They are also more likely to become leaders and high achievers - Spector (1982).
- Oliner and Oliner - greater understanding of social responsibility.
Someone with an External Locus of control is more likely to…
…Blame events happening in their life on the actions of other people. They are also more likely to give in to social influence.
True or false? People with a high internal locus of control are more likley to be more achievement-oriented than those with high external locus of control?
True.
What are the 3 necessary traits in order for a minority to influence a majority?
Consistency, Committment and Flexibility.
What did Moscovici et al (1969) find from his test on minority influence?
A consistent minority managed to make the naive participants say green on over 8% of the trials.
In the second condition, participants were influenced to judge the discs as green more so than in the inconsistent condition.
What did Moscovici et al conclude about minority influence?
He found that a consistent minority is far more influential than an inconsistent minority.
What did Asch (1956) find about the effects of social support on a person’s ability to resist conformity?
With the introduction of an ally, the conformity levels dropped sharply. From 37% to 5.5%. He concluded that the presence of an ally breaks the unanimous position of the majority allowing for greater confidence amongst the minority.
Evaluate Loci of control.
Advantages:
- Supporting evidence - Spector - internal LOCs were more goal-oriented and persuasive.
- Supporting evidence - Hutchins and Estey - High internal LOC = resistance to coercion from others.
Disadvantages:
- Twenge et al - External LOC has become more common in American youths - Rotter’s proposal lacks temporal validity.
Evaluate social support.
+ Asch found that when a confederate gave a correct response in the line variation task, conformity dropped to 5.5%. Furthermore, when a confederate gave an incorrect but different response, conformity dropped to 9%. This provides supporting evidence for social support as it shows how a dissenter can break the unanimous position of the majority and validate others in defying the majority group.
+ Milgram found that when a confederate argued with the experimenter in front of the other participants and refused to shock the learner further, obedience dropped to 10% - showing evidence for the dissenter being a role model to encourage change by showing the majority there is an alternative, but equally valid, way of behaving.
What is valid social support?
Social support that is more likely to be influential - e.g. a person wearing glasses on a test of eyesight.
Who proposed valid and invalid social support?
Allen and Levine.
