Resistance to Social Influence

Question 1

what is resistance to social influence?

Answer 1

the ability of peopel to remain independent despite pressures to confrom/obey

Question 2

how does social support affect social influence?

Answer 2

pressures of conformity/obedience can ne resisted if other people are present who are resistent

Question 3

How does social support allow resistance to conformity?

Answer 3

Individuals feel more confident in their own decision and in rejecting the majority position

Question 4

How does Asch show social support in resisting conformity?

Answer 4

When one confederate gave a different answer conformity decreased to 5.5%

Question 5

How does social support allow resistance to obedience?

Answer 5

Individuals may not copy others’ behaviours but others act as a model to make their own decisions and the model challenges legitimacy of authority 

Question 6

How does Milgram show social support and resist obedience?

Answer 6

Obedience decreased to 10% with two disobedient confederates 

Question 7

Gamson findings and evaluation

Answer 7

• 29/32 groups of Ps (88%) disobeyed when others did
• Gamsons reasearch likely realistic as Ps discussed a potentially real life issue of whether someone should be fired for behaviour at work
• results likely free from DCs as Ps unaware of participation
• Gamson concluded SS caused diobedience but may have been other reasons like conformity

Question 8

how does Asch support/not support resistance to conformity?

Answer 8

• variation with dissenter, conformity dropped below 10%
• lab experiment - may not reflect real life conformity
• only males therefore may not apply to females

Question 9

who proposed the idea of locus of control?

Answer 9

Rotter

Question 10

what is locus of control?

Answer 10

our beliefs and expectations about what controls events in our lives

Question 11

internal locus of control (5)

Answer 11

• what happens to them result of own actions and controlled by them
• strong iLOC associated with belief you can control your life and succeed in difficult situations
• accept responsibility for actions
• more likely to base decisions on own beliefs
• self-confident, less need for social approval
• less conformity and obedience and more resistnet

Question 12

external LOC

Answer 12

• believe things happen to then and mostly uncontrollable
• luck and fate important factors
• passive and fatalistic in difficult situations
• strong eLOC believe actions have little impact
• more conformity and obedience, less resistent

Question 13

3 strengs of LOC

Answer 13

• African-American college students in civil rights movement had higher iLOC than those not taking part
• meta-analysis of studies showed eLOC more easily persuaded and likely to conform
• a replication of M’s study measured LOC of Ps and found 37% of iLOC refused to continueto 450v comoared t 23% eLOC

Question 14

2 weaknesses of LOC

Answer 14

• analysis of data from US OB studies over 40 years shows people have become more resistent to OB but also more eLOC (iLOC predicted), suggesting LOC not only factor
• LOC doesn’t account for fact that different people may respond differently in different situations - may conform/OB sometimes and other times not - suggesting LOC too simplistic