Resistance to social influence Flashcards
What are the two explanations for social resistance?
– Social support
– locus of control
What is social support?
The pressure to conform is higher/lower when the group is unanimous. When the dissenter/majority resist the pressure to conform, it helps the group to do so too.
What is some evidence to support social support?
For example in Aschs study when the centre brought pattern of conformity, conformed your rates dropped from 33% to 5%.
– In milligram study he found that confederate’s defiance decreased obedience levels from 65% to 10%.
What is locus of control and what are the two types?
Locus of control refers to the extent of control individuals think they have over events that influence their lives.
– The two types are internal and external
What is internal locus of control?
Those were internal lockers of control believe that they have/can control events in their lives.
– They also believe that what happens to them is a consequence of their own action/ability
.for example if they failed a test they would question their lack of ability to revise
– These people are more likely to resist social influence/change and are less likely to rely on the opinions of others.
What is external locus of control?
– Those with external locus of control believe that things just happened to them.
– they believe Things are largely out of their control.
For example if they fail a test they are more likely to blame it on external factors such as their teacher or that they had bad luck with questions.
– These people take less responsibility for their personal actions.
– These people are less likely to resist social influence/change.
What is evidence supporting locus?
CROWNE ET AL- completed an Asch like study and measured if participants had internal or external locus of control and he found that internals CONFORM LESS than externals.
HOLLAND- repeated milligram study and found that internals were MORE LIKELY TO DISOBEY going to the higher shock.
What is contradictory evidence to locus? And how is it contradictory?
TWENGE ET AL -
Analysed findings from obedience studies over a 40 year old period and found that despite people becoming more resistant to social influence ( internal) over the years, however, they increasingly believe that their fate was determined by luck and not their actions.( external)
It is contradictory as it decreases the internal validity of the theory/reliability of the theory.
– This is because even though people are becoming ‘more external’ open (the number of external locus people increases), resistance to social influence also increases.
Bailando
– This shows that there is no link between the two.
