Module 1- Social Influence Resistance Flashcards
Examples of when people conformed /obeyed
- Milgram (1963)- 65% obeyed
- Asch (1951) -75% conformed at least once
Examples of when people disobeyed / non- conformity
Milgram (1963)- 35% refused to obey
Asch (1951) - 25% did not conform
Give one situational explanation of resistance to social influence
Social Support
What does the social support theory state
one person refuses to conform/obey = more likely other people will also resist social influence and refuse to conform/obey.
Why are people less likely to conform if they have an ally who resists social influence?
- ally refusing to conform breaks unanimity of the group
- groups more influential if unanimous.
- unanimity is broken people think that there are other, equally legitimate, ways of thinking or responding.
- presence of an ally gives them am independent assessment of reality
- more confident in their decision and better able to stand up to the majority.
Why are people more likely to defy an authority figure if a disobedient role model is refusing to obey?
-when a person rejects the instructions of an authority figure it challenges that authority figure’s legitimate authority.
Evaluation of social support theory
+ Milgram (1974) -
65% shocked to 450V
10% shocked to 450V when another confederate who acted as disobedient role model
+ Asch (1951)
33% conformity rate (1% mistake chance)
5% conformity rate when one confederate acted as an ally to participant and gave right answer
- in both studies, some participants resisted social influence with no social support -> other factors such as dispositional factors play part in resistance to social influence
Give one dispositional explanations of resistance to social influence
Locus of control,
Key psychologist involved with locus of control and year
Rotter (1966)
What is a dispositional explanation
person’s personality determines whether they will conform/obey or resist social influence
What is a persons locus of control
extent to which they believe they have control over their own behaviour
How is locus of control measured?
measured on a dimension from internal to external
What is an internal locus of control
- believe that what occurs in their life is the result of their own behaviour and actions.
- They can therefore alter what happens to them.
What is an external locus of control
- believe that what happens in their lives is outside of their control.
- They think what occurs in their lives is determined by chance or other people so they have no ability to alter it.
Why are people with a high internal locus of control LESS likely to conform/obey
- more likely to be leaders than followers.
- less concerned with social approval.
- more self-confident.
- Believe they control their own circumstances.
Evaluation of locus of control
+ Oliner and Oliner (1988)
-Interviewed 406 German people who sheltered Jews from Nazis during 1930s-40s .
-German people had internal locus of control, which allowed them to disobey the Nazis.
+ Milgram (1974)
65% obeyed to 450V - questionnaire, most external
35% disobeyed- internal
- Williams and Warchal (1981)- conformers were less assertive than non-conformers BUT two groups did not score differently on locus of control test.
- Suggests assertiveness = more important than locus of control in determining if a person conforms/obey.
What is minority influence
Minority influence occurs when very persuasive small groups, or individuals, change the way the majority behaves and thinks.
Who is the key psychologist to do with minority influence?
Moscovici (1985)
What is conversion?
when individuals change their private beliefs and views because of minority influence.
When are minority groups most likely to be convincing?
- committed
- consistent
- flexible
How is commitment shown
members of the minority demonstrate dedication to belief (making sacrifices- augmentation principle, taking risks or being inconvenienced) shows that the minority is not acting out of self-interest.
When does consistency occur?
occurs when minority repeatedly gives same message over time.
-makes a majority reassess their belief and consider issue more carefully.
What is flexibility
Flexibility/ non-dogmatic = minority willing to listen to other viewpoints.
majority = take their argument more seriously.
What is the snowball effect
Minority influence = small effect , spreads as more are converted to the minority viewpoint.
Tipping point where minority becomes majority
What is social crypto- amnesia
- minority influence= slow process, sometimes unconscious.
- Sometimes the individual is not even aware of where the new idea originated from,
Moscovicis study in 1969
+ Moscovici (1969):
- 172 female participants told taking part in a colour perception task.
- naïve participants, groups of 6, 36 slides of varying shades of blue.
- 2/6 participants = confederates.
- The participants had to state out loud the colour of each slide.
- consistent condition= green 36 trials. (Swayed by minority 8.2% of time)
- inconsistent condition= green 24 trials, blue 12 trails. ( swayed by minority 1.25% of time)
- consistent minority= more effective than inconsistent minority.
Evaluation of minority influence /Moscovicis study
- sample gender biased against male: cannot generalise results to males (research suggests women more likely to conform, so further research needed)
- sample culturally biased, all from America: cannot generalise findings to other cultures
- lack of ecological validity: lab experiment with strangers
-deception, lack of informed consent : told taking part in colour perception test- lack of informed consent too.
Deception necessary to prevent demand characteristics and increase validity
Define social change
change that occurs in a society and not at an individual level e.g. gay rights, womens votes
When does social change occur
when the minority view challenges the majority view and is eventually accepted by the majority
How do minority bring about social change
Committed, consistent, flexible
What happens after majority has accepted minority viewpoint?
People may conform due to normative social influence (compliance) and/or informational social influence (internalisation)
How do governments /lawmakers bring about social change
Through process of obedience : changing law, means people are more accepting of viewpoint - change in law makes behaviour a social norm which others adopt
How do dictators bring about social change?
Through obedience: people obeying due to fear of punishment / consequences of disobeying
