resistance to social influence Flashcards
what is social support?
the perception that an individual has assistance available from other people and that they are part of a social network
how does social support help resistance to conformity?
in one variation of asch’s study, there was an ally present, giving the right answer. in this variation, conformity dropped from 33% - 5.5%.
social support breaks the unanimous position of the majority and raises the possibility that there are other ways to think/respond. increases the participants ability to not conform
how does social support help resistance to obedience?
its hard to stand up to an authoritative figure because the obedience of others makes it seem that the behaviour is acceptable.
research has shown that individuals have more confidence to disobey the authoritative figure if there is an ally present who is also willing to stand up to the figure. disobedient peers act as role models.
in one condition of Milgram’s study, there were 3 teachers testing the learner; 2 were confederates and 1 was a real p/p. the 2 confederates refused to continue shocking the learner and withdrew from the study. in this condition, only 10% of p/ps carried on to 450v.
what is a strength of social support explanation?
Real life application.
in 1943,a group of German women protested in the Rosentrasse, Berlin, where the Gestapo were holding 2000 men. the women demanded the men’s release. the women were told to leave, and threatened with open fire, yet their courage prevailed and the men were released.
this support Milgram’s findings, where the presence of disobedient peers gives p/p confidence to resist orders. the women defied the gestapo together
what is a limitation of social support? (order)
Allen and Levine tested to see whether the order of when social support comes makes a difference. they used 4 confederates and a real participant. in 1 condition it went: right answerx1, wrong answerx3, real p/p. in another condition, there were 3 wrong answers, real answer, real p/p.
the person giving social support was more effective when they were positioned first, not last. their initial commitment to the right answer had lasted in the p/p’s memory, influencing them not to conform.
limitation as it shows social support is only effective depending on when it comes
what is a strength of social support? (valid)
Allen and Levine tested to see whether social support needs to be considered valid for it to be effective. in one condition, the person giving social support was wearing glasses with thick lenses (invalid social support, given that it was a test of visual discrimination). in another condition, the confederate had normal vision. this was valid social support.
both conditions decreased conformity levels, but the valid social support had a bigger impact. this suggests that an ally is helpful in resisting conformity, but even more so if they are perceived as offering valid social support.
what is locus of control?
refers to a person’s perception of personal control over their own actions.
how is locus of control measured?
along a dimension of high external and high internal.
what is a high internal locus of control?
a person with high internal LOC believes what happens to them is largely a consequence of their own ability/effort. they can control the events in their life. they are more independent, rely less on others and so are more able to resist social influence.
what is a high external locus of control?
people with a high external locus of control believe what happens to them is determined by external factors such as luck/the influence of others. they are less independent and rely more on others and so are more likely to accept the influence of others
what are the characteristics of a high internal, relevant to resisting social influence?
- active seekers of information that is useful to them. they rely less on the opinions of others and so are less vulnerbale to social influence
- more goal-orientated. they are more likely to become leaders not followers. spector found a relationship between LofC and leadership skills. internals were more persuasive
- better able to resist coercion from others. for example, in a simulated prison-of-war camp situation, high internals were better able to resist the attempts of an interrogator to gain info. the greater the pressure, the greater the difference between an internal’s/external’s performance. (Hutchins and Estey)
what is an evaluation point to make about locus of control?
Tenge et al conducted a meta analysis of studies of american teens and found these teens increasingly believed that their fate was determined more by factors such as luck, rather than their own actions.
therefore, their locus of control scores had become increasingly more external from 1990-2002. this research suggests LofC is related to time periods and so we can use it to further our understanding of society as a whole.
what is a limitation of LofC?
Spector measured LoC and predisposition to normative/informational social influence in 157 undergrads. he found a significant correlation between LoC and normative social influence- externals were more likely to be influenced than internals. however, he found no relationship between LoC and informational social influence . limitation because cant fully explain resistance
