resistance to social influence Flashcards
social support and locus of control
what is social support
the presence of people who resist pressures to conform which can help other do the same → these people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible
how did social support effect Milgram’s study
in one of Milgram’s variations, the rate of obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when the genuine pp was joined by a disobedient confederate
how did social support affect Asch’s study
conformity rate dropped from 65% to 5.5% with the presence of the dissenter
give an example of social support in the real world
the Rosenstrasse Protest
what was the Rosenstrasse protest
German women protesting about their Jewish husbands and sons being held and stood strong to threat of open fire → eventually got husbands and sons released due to courage
what is a high internal
control over themselves and are less likely to conform as they feel responsible for the actions
what is the high external
what happens in life is due to luck
what are 2 factors that influence social influence
social support
locus of control
what is Locus of control
refers to the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives. Internals believe they are mostly responsible for what happens to them (internal locus of control). Externals believe it is mainly a matter of luck or other outside factors (external locus of control)
→ it is a personality explanation
what did Rotter believe about locus of control
believed that having an internal LoC made individuals more resistant to social pressure
what are 3 characteristics of high internals
→ active seekers of information
→ more achievement orientated
→ better able to resist coercion from others
LoC - contradictory research
not all research supports the link between LoC and resistance
Twenge et al (2004) analysed data from American locus of control studies over a 40-year period (from 1960 to 2002).
the data showed that over this time span, people have become more resistant to obedience but also more external
if resistance were linked to an internal LoC we would expect people to have become more internal
→ this challenges the link between internal LoC and increasing resistant behaviour however, it is possible that the results are due to a changing society where many things are out of our personal control
LoC research support
research evidence supports the link between LoC and resistance to obedience.
→ Holland (1967) repeated Milgram’s baseline study and measured whether pps were internals or externals
→ he found that 37% of internals did not continue to the highest shock level (i.e. they showed some resistance) whereas only 23% of externals did not continue.
→ → internals showed greater resistance to authority
→ research support of this nature increases the validity of the LOC explanation and out confidence that it can explain resistance
research support - resistance to conformity
→ Allen and Levine 1971
→ did an Asch-type study and found research evidence to support the role of dissenting participants in resisting conformity
→ they found that when the presence of one dissenting confederate was around the participant the conformity decrease, especially if the dissenter wore thick glasses and said that he had difficulties with his vision
→ this supports the view that resistance is not just what someone says but it enables someone to be free from the pressures from their own conscience
research support - resistance to obedience
→ Gamson et al. 2008
→ Gamson put participants in groups and made then find evidence for an oil company to run a smear campaign
→ Gamson found that 29 out of 33 groups disobeyed → 88%
→ this shows the the presence of peer support is linked to greater resistance
