Section 1 : Social Influence - Resistance To Social Influence Flashcards
Having ….. makes people more resistant to social influence
Social support
More of Milgram’s participants resisted orders if there were other participants present who refused to obey, what does this suggest
This suggests that people find it easier to stand up to authority if they have support from others because they no longer have to take full responsibility for rebelling
What did Asch find in his studies when he made one of the confederates agree with the participant
He found that participants were more likely to resist the pressure to conform if one of the confederates agreed with them. It seems that people are more likely to display independent behaviour if they’ve got support from others
What may influence independent behaviour
Aspects of personality
What is the Locus of control
This indicates how much control you believe you have over events in your life
Who feels more likely to resist social influence
People who feel they’re generally in control of what happens in their life - dispositional explanation for resistance
Who made a questionnaire to measure locus of control
Rotter (1966)
What was the basis of the questionnaire
It involved choosing between paired statements e.g. :
A: Misfortune is usually brought about by people’s own actions
B: Things that make us unhappy are largely due to bad luck
What happens if you agreed to the first statement in the questionaire
You have internal locus of control
What is internal locus of control
This is categorised by a belief that what happens in your life results from your own behaviour or actions
What happens if you agree with the second statement in the questionnaire
You have external locus control
What is external locus of control
A belief that events are caused by external factors, like luck or actions of others
Give an example of internal locus of control
If you done well in a test you might put it down on how much you revised for it
Give an example external locus of control
If you done well in a test you might put it down to good questions coming up, or a lenient examiner
What do people with an internal locus of control have over people with external locus of control
People with an internal locus of control feel a stronger sense of control over their lives than people with an external locus of control - this means they’re more likely to exhibit independent behaviour
