obedience: locus of control Flashcards
define ‘internal locus of control’
Someone feeling as though they are entirely in control of their actions and taking responsibility for the consequences that are through their own doing.
define ‘external locus of control’
Someone feeling as though their actions are not entirely in their control and that things are down to fate, as well as believing in luck.
Suggest 2 traits of those with an internal locus of control.
- cope well in stressful situations
- less reliant on others
Which locus of control is likely to be more affected by authority figures?
external
strength PEE
- supporting evidence
a strength of this explanation is the supporting evidence from Gretchen Brandt. for example, she was a ppt in Milgram’s study who refused due to being raised in Nazi Germany and understanding the consequences of blindly following authority. therefore, this supports the internal locus of control being responsible for their actions.
additionally, the evidence from Oliner and Oliner is a strength. this is because They interviewed 406 Germans who had sheltered Jewish people from the Nazis and they had a high internal locus of control. therefore, this shows that they believe they have influence of events in their life and so have a high internal locus of control so are more likely to disobey an authority figure
weakness PEE
- opposing study
a weakness is the opposing evidence from Blass. for example, He reviewed many studies and found that there is no clear link between locus of control and independent behaviour. therefore, there may be other factors that lead to obedience and having a certain locus of control just signifies feeling of responsibility for actions
weakness PEE
- 2 criticisms
a weakness is that the research lacks validity. for example, Locus of control is measured by questionnaires and interviews can lead to social desirability bias or acquiescence bias. therefore, this would not be measuring what set out to measure due to bias from the ppts, lowering validity.
additionally, Correlational research looking at the relationship between LOC and obedience lacks the manipulation of variables. therefore, cannot establish a cause and effect relationship
strength PEE
- application
a strength of the explanation is that it has applications. for example, It states that people with high external locus of control believe in luck and fate- that they have little control over their own actions. This has positive applications to education, as promoting an internal locus of control can improve academic motivation, persistence and performance. Teachers are thus advised to educate their students on the importance of effort and how this is the only thing that can improve their grade.
what is an alternate theory?
The authoritarian personality contrasts as it says we obey due to believing in following an authority figure because we were brought up with strict parents and learnt to displace hostility on minorities. therefore, It may be down to multiple personality types
weakness PEE
- criticism
a weakness is that it could be reductionist. for example, Milgram found that situation influences our obedience levels with 65% of ppts giving the full voltage of 450V when in a prestigious, unfamiliar environment. therefore, this suggests that there are many other factors that contribute to our behaviour other than personality.
