Resistance to Social Influence Flashcards
What is resistance to social influence?
It’s the ability to withstand social pressure to conform or obey, influenced by situational and dispositional factors.
What is social support in the context of social influence?
It’s when the presence of others who resist conformity or obedience helps individuals do the same by acting as role models.
What is locus of control (LOC)?
LOC refers to how much a person believes they control events in their life. Internals believe they control events themselves; externals believe outcomes are due to luck or outside forces.
In a student council election, what might make it hard to resist pressure from a teacher to vote a certain way?
Lack of social support (no one else resisting), conformity pressure, and possibly having a more external locus of control.
How does social support help resist conformity?
Seeing someone else not conform, even if they’re wrong, makes it easier for others to resist group pressure.
What did Asch find about social support?
A dissenter reduced conformity, but if the dissenter started conforming, so did the naive participant—showing the effect isn’t long-lasting.
How does social support help resist obedience?
If someone else disobeys, it acts as a model, freeing the individual to follow their own conscience.
What variation of Milgram’s study supports this?
When a disobedient confederate was present, obedience dropped from 65% to 10%.
Who proposed the concept of LOC and when?
Julian Rotter in 1966.
What traits are associated with a high internal LOC?
Self-confidence, achievement orientation, higher intelligence, and less need for social approval.
What did Allen & Levine (1971) find about conformity?
Conformity decreased with a dissenter, even if the dissenter had impaired vision, suggesting dissent reduces pressure.
Why are people with an internal LOC more likely to resist social influence?
They take responsibility for their actions and base decisions on personal beliefs rather than external pressures.
Is LOC a simple either/or trait?
No, it exists on a continuum from high internal to high external, with variations in between.
What did Gamson et al. (1982) find in relation to obedience?
88% of groups rebelled when resisting a morally questionable task in groups, showing peer support increases resistance.
What did Holland (1967) find about LOC and obedience?
37% of internals resisted maximum shocks vs. only 23% of externals, supporting the link between internal LOC and resistance.
What contradictory findings did Twenge et al. (2004) report?
Over 40 years, people became more external but also more resistant—challenging the link between internal LOC and resistance.
How might societal changes explain Twenge’s findings?
Society may feel more out of individual control, increasing externality despite growing resistance.
Why might LOC have a limited role?
According to Rotter (1982), LOC matters more in new situations; in familiar situations, past experience is a better predictor of behaviour.
