resistance to social influence explanation Flashcards
1
Q
SOCIAL SUPPORT - conformity
A
- social support helps people resist conformity
- pressure to conform can be reduced if there are others present who are not conforming e.g. Asch’s ‘unanimity’ variation
- this other person acts as a ‘model’ and gives the social support needed to resist
- however, Asch’s research shows that when this non-conforming person can begin conforming again, so does the naïve ppt. > effect of dissent is not long lasting
2
Q
SOCIAL SUPPORT - obedience
A
- can also help people resists obedience > pressure to obey can be reduced if someone else is seen to disobey
- in one of Milgram’s variations, obedience rates dropped from 65% to 10% when a naïve ppt. was joined by a disobedient confederate
- ppt. may not follows the disobedient ppts. actions but their disobedience acts a ‘model’ for them to copy that frees them to act from his own conscience
- disobedient model challenges the legitimacy of the authority figure, making it easier for others to disobey
3
Q
locus of control (loc)
A
- Rotter (1966) proposed the idea of loc, which is the extent to which people believe they have control over their own lives
- internal loc = believe that what happens is largely due to their own behaviour, & are more likely to resist pressure to conform and obey
- loc is expressed as a continuum w/ high internal on one end & high external on another, w/ low internal & low external in between
4
Q
resistance to social influence - loc
A
- people w an internal loc are more likely to be able to resist pressure to conform & obey
- if a person takes personal responsibility for their own behaviour, then they are more likely to base their decisions on their own beliefs and thus resists pressure from others
- people w a high internal loc are usually more self-confident, achievement orientated, have higher intelligence & less need for social approval
- these personality traits may contribute to them being able to have greater resistance to social influence
