Resisting Social Influence

Question 1

Resistance to social influence

Answer 1

This refers to the ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority

Question 2

Social support

Answer 2

The presence of people who resist to conform or obey can help others to do the same. These people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible

Question 3

Locus of control (LOC)

Answer 3

Refers to the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives
- Internals believe they are mostly responsible for what happens to them
- Externals believe it is mainly a matter of luck or outside forces

Question 4

Allen and Levine (1971)- research support of social support to resist conformity

Answer 4

• They found that conformity decreased when there was one dissenter in an Asch-like study, even when the dissenter wore thick glasses and said he has difficulty with his vision
• This supports the idea that resistance is not just motivated by following what someone else says, but is encased someone to be free of the pressure from the group

Question 5

Gamson et al (1982)- research support for social support resisting obedience

Answer 5

• Participants had to produce evidence that would be used as evidence used to help an oil company run a smear campaign
• 29 out of the 33 groups of participants (88%) rebelled. This shows that peer support is linked to greater resistance

Question 6

Holland (1967) - research support for LOC impacting obedience

Answer 6

• He repeated Milgram’s experiment and measured whether the participants were internals or externals
• He found that 37% of intervals did not go to 450 volts, compared to only 23% of externals. This shows that internals had greater resistance to authority than externals

Question 7

Twenge et al (2004)- research against LOC impacting resistance to social influence

Answer 7

• He analysed data from American obedience over a 40-year time period
• The data showed that people have become more resistant to obedience, but also more external. If resistance were linked to an internal LOC, we would expect people to have become more internal
• This challenges the link between internal LOC and increasing resistant behaviour