resistance to social influence Flashcards
How do people resist social influence?
Social support
Locus of control
What is social support?
Presence of people who resist pressure helping others to do the same
How does social support help people resist conformity?
Other non conformers present
Doesn’t have to give right answer, just an alternative
Other person acts as a model
If this person conforms again so does pp, so the effect of dissent is not long lasting
How does social support help people resist obedience?
Another disobedient person
Milgram variation - obedience dropped to 10% when pp joined by disobedient confederate
Disobeying person is a model to copy
Social support conformity evaluation - research support
Allen and Levine - conformity decreased with a dissenter in Asch type study
Occurred even when dissenter wore thick glasses and had vision troubles
Social support obedience evaluation - research support
Gamson - higher levels of resistance in their study than Milgram’s
Pps were in groups - had to produce evidence to help a smear campaign
88% rebelled
Who proposed locus of control?
Rotter
What is locus of control?
Internals - things are controlled by them
Externals - things happen without their control
How is locus of control on a continuum?
High internal and high external
Low internal and low external
How does locus of control help people resist social influence?
Internals more likely to resist
Takes personal responsibility so is more likely to base decisions on own beliefs
High internals more confident and less need for social approval
LOC evaluation - research support
Holland - repeated Milgram but measured whether pps were internal or external
37% internals did not continue to highest shock level
23% externals didn’t
Increases validity
LOC evaluation - contradictory research
Twenge - analysed data from locus of control studies
People have become more external but more resistant
However - due to society where things are out of our control
LOC evaluation - limited role of LOC
Role of LOC exaggerated
Rotter - LOC only comes into play in novel situations
Little influence in familiar situations where our experience is most important
Conform or obey in certain situation - likely to do so again
