P1 Social Influence: Topic 8: Resistance to Social Influence

Question 1

What is resistance to social influence?

Answer 1

• Ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to a group or to obey an authority figure.
• There are situational & dispositional explanations for how some people resist social influence.

Question 2

What is social support?

Answer 2

A situational explanation.

• Presence of people who resist pressure to conform/obey can help others do the same.
• These people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible.

Question 3

How does social support affect conformity?

Answer 3

• Gives individual confidence to follow their own conscience.
• Dissenter acts as role model of independent behaviour.

Question 4

What did Asch find that supports the idea that social support affects conformity?

Answer 4

• Presence of another non-conformist condeferate lowered overall conformity on the ´lines´task.
• Dropped to 5%.

Question 5

What did Allen & Levine do (1971) that supports the idea that social support affects conformity?

Answer 5

They conducted an Asch type replication.

1. Participants had no support (97% conformity)
2. Participants had a supporter with normal vision who gave correct answers (36% conformity)
3. Participants had a supporter with very poor vision who wore thick glasses & gave only some incorrect answers (64% conformity)

Question 6

How does social support affect obedience?

Answer 6

• Individuals can be more confident in their ability to resist if they have ally who is willing to join them to oppose authority figure.
• Allies give people disobedient role model to follow, demonstrating to others in the group that there is another way to behave.

Question 7

What did Milgram do that supports the idea that social support affects obedience?

Answer 7

Experiment called the ´2 peers rebel study´

• 3 paticipants (2 confederates & 1 real) shared role of teacher.
• 2 confederates withdrew from study as V increased.
• Only 10% of participants continued to 450V, compared to the original findings of 65%.

Question 8

What is Teen Fresh Start USA?

Answer 8

Evidence to support the role of social support in resisting social influence.

• Susan Albrecht (2006) evaluated this programme.
• 8 week programme to help pregnant adolescents aged 14-19 to resist peer pressure to smoke.
• Some teens had a buddy, some didn´t.

Question 9

What were the findings of Teen Fresh Start USA?

Answer 9

Participants who had a buddy were signficiantly less likely to smoke than those without a buddy.

Question 10

What did Gamson do?

Answer 10

Evidence to support the role of social support in resisting social influence.

• Asked participants to produce fake evidence that could be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign.

Question 11

What is a smear campaign?

Answer 11

When a group try to discredit a public figure/group by making false accusations about them.

Question 12

What were the findings of Gamson´s study?

Answer 12

He found lower levels of obedience than Milgram did.

• Participants were in groups so could discuss task.
• 88% rebelled against orders.

Question 13

What scale did Rotter create?

Answer 13

Locus of Control Scale.

Question 14

What is the definition of locus of control?

Answer 14

• Person´s perception of personal control over their own behaviour ( a personality explanation).
• Measured on a scale of high external to high internal.

Question 15

What are the characteristics of an internal locus of control?

Answer 15

• High level of personal control over their lives & behaviour.
• Take personal responsibility for it (“I made it happen”).

Question 16

What are the characteristics of an external locus of control?

Answer 16

• Belief life is determined by external/environmental factors.
• Luck (“Wrong place, wrong time”).

Question 17

How does an internal locus of control relate to social influence?

Answer 17

High internals are better able to resist conforming/obeying.

• Take personal responsibility for their actions.
• Base their decisions on own beliefs/judgements.
• More confident, higher IQ & more achievement-orientated.

Question 18

How does an external locus of control relate to social influence?

Answer 18

High externals more likely to conform/obey.

• Have a need for social approval.
• Look to others for leadership.
• Less confident/more laid back & relaxed.
• Sometimes have lower IQ.

Question 19

What is an example of research in support for the Locus of Control?

Answer 19

• Charles Holland replicated Milgram´s baseline study.
• He measured whether participants were internals or externals & if they fully obeyed.
• 37% of internals disobeyed.
• 23% of externals disobeyed.
• This isnt strong evidence as 100% of internals should have obeyed.

Question 20

What has Twenge done (2004) to condradict Rutter´s LoC?

Answer 20

• Long term research casting doubt upon validity of LoC explanation.
• Twenge analyised data from American LoC studies between 1960-2002.
• He found people are becoming more resistant to obedience, but also more external in their LoC.
• Surprising & contradictory evidence.

Question 21

What is a criticism put forward by Rutter about his own LoC explanation?

Answer 21

• LoC is not necessarily the main reason for resisting social influence.
• LoC only significantly affects someone´s behaviour in new situations, and has little affect if the person has already obeyed or conformed in the past.