resistance to social influence

Question 1

define resistance to social influence

Answer 1

refers to the ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority

Question 2

what are the 2 explanations of resistance to social influence?

Answer 2

• locus of control
• social support

Question 3

who proposed locus of control?

Answer 3

Rotter

Question 4

define locus of control

Answer 4

a measurement of an individual’s sense of control over their lives,
- e.g. to what extent they feel that events in their lives are under their own, personal control, versus
under the control of other external powers like fate

Question 5

what are the 2 types of locus of control that we can have?

Answer 5

• internal loc
• external loc

Question 6

describe an internal locus of control

Answer 6

believe that behaviour is caused by their own personal decisions and effort
e.g. ‘i won the award because I worked hard for it.’

Question 7

describe an external locus of control

Answer 7

believe that behaviour is caused by luck or fate
e.g. ‘i won the award because it was
meant to be – it was my destiny’

Question 8

does an internal loc lead to obedience/conformity or resistance to SI?

Answer 8

internal loc = resistance to social influence

Question 9

how does an internal loc lead to resistance to social influence?

Answer 9

• people with more of an internal locus of control conform and obey less
• this because they take more responsibility for their actions and see themselves as having more control
• and so are more likely to make decisions based on their own moral code, as opposed to someone else’s

Question 10

does an external loc lead to obedience/conformity or resistance to SI?

Answer 10

external loc = obedience/conformity

Question 11

how does an external loc lead to obedience/conformity?

Answer 11

• since they believe that the majority of their life events are beyond their control
• this means that they are more likely to act on behalf of another (i.e. as their agent) and shift responsibility onto this individual.
  -those with an external locus of control are particularly susceptible towards obedience.

Question 12

evaluation loc: supporting research (Atgis)

Answer 12

ID: supporting research
Q: there is research evidence supporting the link between locus of control and obedience.
EX: for example, Atgis conducted a meta-analysis of studies considering locus of control and likeliness to conform. It was found that those who scored highest on the eternal locus of
control were more easily persuaded and more likely to conform.
AN: therefore, having an
external locus of control leads to a greater rate of conformity.

Question 13

evaluation loc: supporting research (Holland)

Answer 13

ID: there is supporting research for locus of control and obedience
Q: Holland replicated Milgram’s experiment, and measured people’s loc
EX: found that 37% of ppt’s with an internal loc, didn’t continue with shocks, in comparison to 23% of people with external loc
AN: therefore, Holland’s research shows that people with an internal loc are more resistant to SI, increasing the external validity of Milgram’s findings

Question 14

evaluation loc: research support (Oliner and Oliner)

Answer 14

ID: there is also research evidence supporting the link between locus of control and social responsibility
Q: Oliner and Oliner interviewed two groups of non-Jewish people who had lived through the holocaust
EX: for example, 406 people who
protected and rescued Jews from Nazis and 126 people who did not. the rescuers were found to have an internal locus of control and also scored higher on measures of social
responsibility.
ELAB: however, this also draws doubt over the direct link between locus of control and resistance to obedience - perhaps measures of social responsibility are more
important/influential?

Question 15

what is social support?

Answer 15

• the presence of people who resist the pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same.
• these people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible

Question 16

how does social support lead to resistance to social influence?

Answer 16

• those with social support can be more confident and will not fear rejection or ridicule
• this means they are more likely to resist social influence and remain independent

Question 17

how did social support affect Asch’s conformity levels?

Answer 17

• when a confederate gave a correct answer, the conformity dropped to 5%

Question 18

how did social support affect Asch’s obedience levels?

Answer 18

• when the ppt was paired with two other teachers (confederates) who refused to go on, the number of people who went to 450V dropped to 10%

Question 19

evaluation ss: research support

Answer 19

ID: a strength of ss is that there is research to support its link to conformity
Q: Allen and Levine developed a variation of Asch’s study and found similar results
EX: for example, resistance to conformity increased from 3% to 64% when there was social support from a dissenter. even when the dissenter wore thick glasses and said he had difficulty with his vision, resistance to conformity was 36%
AN: this supports the definition of social support, as it shows that the social support provided by the other participants gave ppt’s the confidence to resist conformity

Question 20

evaluation ss: support for resistance to obedience

Answer 20

ID: furthermore, there is research support for reduced obedience due to social support
Q: Gamson et al gave support to the idea that larger groups provide a stronger social support system, which makes resisting obedience/social influence much easier
EX: for example, Gamsom found that when participants were placed in groups, 88% resisted the pressure
to conform to the same smear campaign which other confederates had developed.
AN: this clearly demonstrates the significant influence of social support systems, increasing the external validity of the definition