resistance to social influence

Question 1

resisting conformity

Answer 1

conformity is less likely when a dissenter breaks the unanimity of the majority - social support

Question 2

resisting obedience

Answer 2

obedience is less likely when a disobedient role model challenges the legitimacy of authority

Question 3

resistance

Answer 3

both cases show other people that resistance is possible

Question 4

LOC

Answer 4

locus of control - rotter

internals believe they are in control of what happens

externals believe what happens is due to chance or luck

LOC continuum - is a scale and people vary in their position on it - high internal at one end and high external at other

Question 5

resisting influence

Answer 5

internals more able to resist pressure to conform or obey than externals
- may have more self-confidence and less need for social approval from others

externals vulnerable to opinions and behaviours of others, no point resisting

Question 6

social support

Answer 6

the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same

Question 7

real world research support

Answer 7

P - strength is research evidence for positive effects of social support
E - Albrecht et al - evaluated teen fresh start USA - help pregnant teens resist peer pressure to smoke
E - social support was provided by mentor - those who had mentor less likely to smoke than control
L - shows social support can help young people resist social influence as part of an intervention

Question 8

research support for dissenting peers

Answer 8

P - strength as research support the role of dissenting peers in resisting obedience
E - Garnson et al - participants told to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign
E - found high levels of resistance in study - likely due to being in groups - 29 out of 33 groups rebelled
L - peer support can lead disobedience by undermining the legitimacy of authority

Question 9

social support explanation

Answer 9

P - study by Allen and Levine - social support can help individuals to resist influence of group
E - Asch-type task - dissenter was someone who apparently had good eyesight
E - 64% of genuine participants refused to conform - when no supporter only 3% resisted
L - study also showed social support doesn’t always help - when dissenter had thick glasses so poor eyesight - resistance was only 36%

Question 10

research support - LOC

Answer 10

P - strength is research evidence to support link between LOC and resistance to obedience
E - Holland repeated Milgram’s baseline study and measured whether participants were internals or externals
E - 37% of internals did not continue to top voltage, only 23% of externals did not continue - internals had greatest resistance
L - resistance at least partly due to LOC - increasing validity of LOC as explanation of disobedience

Question 11

contradictory research

Answer 11

P - limitation is evidence that challenges link between LOC and resistance
E - Twenge et al - analysed data from american locus of control studies - over 40 year period
E - data showed that over time, people became more resistant to obedience but also more external - if resistance is linked to internal then should be more internal
L - locus of control is not valid explanation of how people resist

Question 12

limited role of LOC

Answer 12

P - many studies show having internal LOC linked with being able to resist social influence however
E - Rotter - not LOC most important factor
E - LOC’s role depends on situation, only affects behaviour in new situations
L - if conformed in past, more likely to do so again