Resisting Social Influence

Question 1

Two reasons why people can resist the pressure of social influence

Answer 1

Locus of control and social support

Question 2

2 types of locus of control

Answer 2

Internal and external

Question 3

Def internal locus of control

Answer 3

A person believes their behaviour is caused primarily by their own personal decisions and actions

Question 4

Eg internal locus of control

Answer 4

I can determine my future, I am in control

Question 5

Def external locus of control

Answer 5

A person believes theur behaviour is caused primarily by fate, luck or other internal circumstances

Question 6

Example of external locus of control

Answer 6

I can’t make a difference, why bother

Question 7

People with what type of locus of control are able to resist social influence

Answer 7

Internal locus of control

Question 8

Why do people wirh internal locus of control resist social influence

Answer 8

Because they believe they have control over their own future

Question 9

A personality trait of people with internal locus of control

Answer 9

Independence, makes them less responsive to others acting as a characteristic to help them resist

Question 10

People with external locus of control believe their lives are governed by..,

Answer 10

External forces instead of their own actions making them more likely to conform and less likely to resist as they believe it won’t happen either way

Question 11

4 evaluation points of locus of control

Answer 11

Strength - research support
Weakness - contradicting research
Weakness - limited role of locus of control

Question 12

Elaboration of strength - research support

Answer 12

• Holland repeated milgrams baseline study and measures which participants were internal and external
• 37% of internals didn’t shock at the highest level compared to 23% of externals
• shows resistance is partly due to locus of control

Question 13

Elaboration weakness - contradicting research

Answer 13

• Twenge found that over 40 years people became more resistant if obedience but more external in their beliefs
• this suggests that locus of control isn’t a suitable explanation for resistance

Question 14

Elaboration weakness - limited role of locus of control

Answer 14

• Rotter found that locus of control is only imoortant in new situations
• if an individual has conformed or resisted influence in a past situation, they will repeat the same behaviour when confronted with a similar or identical scenario
• this limits the use of locus of control in explaining resistance

Question 15

Overall evaluation of locus of control

Answer 15

Loc limited method of explaining resistance to social influence and obedience

Question 16

Social support def

Answer 16

Is the idea of having an ally or other people that are seen to resist social influence (acting as models) making it easier for others to do the same

Question 17

How does social support help people resist conformity

Answer 17

The pressure to conform can be reduced if other people are also not conforming as seen in Aschs line study when other ps don’t conform, p less likely to folllow majority

Question 18

How does social support help resist obedience

Answer 18

Pressure to obey is reduced if another person disobeys

Question 19

Supportive research of social support can help people resist obedience

Answer 19

Milgrams variations where the rate of obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when genuine p was joined by disobedient confederate

Question 20

3 evaluation points of social support

Answer 20

Strength - supportive evidence
Strength - application
Strength - doesn’t need to be valid to be effective

Question 21

Elaboration strength - supportive evidence

Answer 21

• aallen and Levine conducted Asch like replication
• when dissenter was someone wirh apparently good eyesight, 64% of genuine ps refused to conform
• when there was no supporter only 3% ps resisted
• positive as these findings support social support is important in helping to resist conformity

Question 22

Elaboration strength - application

Answer 22

• group of German women in the street in front of nazis demanded their Jewish relatives back
• had social support from each other and the nazis backed down and released the Jews

Question 23

Elaboration strength - doesn’t need to be supportive to be effective

Answer 23

• research found that support doesn’t need to be valid to be effective
• ie there doesn’t have to be any kind of proof that the individual who is going against the majority is justified by doing so