Resistance Flashcards
What is locus of control and how does it affect resistance to social influence
Extent that you believe you can control your life events
Internal locus of control believes your own actions can determine what will happen in your life - will agree with e.g failure is due to lack of taking opportunities
vice versa for external
high internal locus less likely to conform/ obey - more likely followers, less concerned with approval, more confident and in control
Locus of control eval
+ Oliner and oliner (1988) interviewed 406 germans who sheltered jews from nazis in 1930-40s and internal locus of control helped disobey
+ Milgram found higher internal loci of control in the 35% who disobeyed in the pilot study
- Williams and warchal (1981) found a link between assertiveness and conformity - suggests a third important factors
Social support theory
When someone resists it is easier for others
Either an ally who refuses to conform therefore breaking unanimity and strength - challenges ways of thinking and helps stand up to majority
Or a disobedient role model who challenges the figures legitimate authority and gives others confidence to disobey - link with diffusion of responsibility
SST eval
+ Disobedient role model in Milgrams experiment dropped obedience rates significantly
+ Asch had conformity drop from 37% to 5% when one ally said the right answer, and 9% when one ally said the wrong answer
- Both studies had some resistance even without any SST suggesting it is incomplete - excludes factors like personality
Minority influence
when small persuasive groups or individuals change the behaviour and thoughts of a majority via the process of conversion i.e internalisation but other way around
- initial small effect spreads more and more as people consider raised issues and covert, snowball effect where eventually minority tips into majority
slow and perhaps unconscious - unawareness of where new ideas stemmed called crypto amnesia
factors improving minority influence
commitment - e.g making sacrifices (augmentation principle) to show not acting for self interest
consistency - diachronic over time or synchronic between members - challenges beliefs and reassessment
flexible - willing to compromise and be reasonable, non dogmatic and fair
Minority influence eval
+ Wood et al (1994) meta analysed almost 100 studies and found consistency is influential
+ Moscovici (1969) told 172 american females in a colour perception task in groups of 6 with 2 confederates shown varying shades of blue. When two confederates said green always 8.2% swayed, when two confederates said green 24/36 times 1.25% swayed - consistency
+ Nemeth and Brilmayar (1987) did fake jury for ski lift accident compensation where confederate put alternate view - had no effect except when flexibility and shifting - also only happened in a late shift showing consistency and flexibility
+ Martin et al (2003) gave people a minority and majority view and expressed how much support they gave - then shown a conflicting view where attitudes changed less for a minority view - deeply processed and enduring effect
- Experiments in labs and artifical tasks raising question of ecological validity and mundane realism, as well as trivial tasks compared to real life struggles of minorities and overwhelming power of real life majorities
Social change
When minority view challenges majority and is eventually accepted by majority i.e snowball effect
Once minority becomes majority others conform via NSI and ISI
Governments/ lawmakers can use obedience to force conformity as it becomes a social norm or becomes fearful to not obey
