resistance to social influence

Question 1

how can the pressure to conform be resisted

Answer 1

• the presence of a desenteer
• seen in aches research

Question 2

what is social support

Answer 2

• someone who is not following the majority
• enables the naive participant to be free to follow their own conscience
• dissent gives rise to more dissent because majority is not unanimous

Question 3

how can obedience be resisted

Answer 3

• if there is another person seen to disobey
• milgram’s variation, obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when participant was joined by disobedient confederate

Question 4

who came up with locus of control

Answer 4

• rotter 1966

Question 5

what is internal LOC

Answer 5

• things that happen are controlled by them

Question 6

what is external LOC

Answer 6

• things that happen are outside their control

Question 7

what is the LOCcontinuum

Answer 7

• LOC is a scale that individuals vary on
• High and low internals and externals

Question 8

LOC and resistance to social influence

Answer 8

• high internal LOC are more likely to resist pressures to conform or obey
• High internal LOC are more self confidence, achievement oriented and higher intelligence

Question 9

strengths of social support

Answer 9

1. real world research support
   - albrecht at al (2006) evaluated teen fresh start usa
   - social support was provided by a slightly older mentor
   - adolescents who had a mentor were less likely to smoke than those who didn’t
2. research support for dissenting peers
   - gamson et al (1982) told participants to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign
   - higher levels of resistance than milgram
   - participants were in groups so could discuss
   - 88% of groups rebelled

Question 10

strengths of LOC

Answer 10

1. research support
   - holland (1967) repeated milgrams study
   - found that 37% of internals did not continue to the highest shock compared to 23% of externals

Question 11

limitations of LOC

Answer 11

contradictory evidence
- anaylased data from american loc stuidies conducted over a 40 year period
-data showed that over time people becoem more resitant to obedience but are also more external
- if resitiance is linked to an external loc we would expect peope to be more internal
- suggests that loc is not a valid explaiantion