Social Influence - Resistance to Social Influence Flashcards
What two things can cause you to be more resistant to social influence?
Having social support
Having an internal locus of control
Which key studies showed that having social support can make people more resistant to social influence?
Milgram (1963)
- More of Milgram’s participants resisted orders if there were other participants present who refused to obey.
- This suggests that people find it easier to stand up to authority if they have support from others, because they no longer take full responsibility for rebelling.
Asch (1956)
- Participants were more likely to resist the pressure to conform if one of the confederates agreed with them.
What is a dispositional explanation for resistance to social influence?
Having an internal locus of control.
What is a locus of control? (LoC)
A locus of control indicates how much personal control you believe you have over events in your life.
People who feel they’re generally in control of what happens in their life are more likely to resist.
Who developed a questionnaire to measure locus of control?
Rotter (1966)
What did Rotter’s questionnaire (1966) entail?
Rotter’s questionnaire involved choosing between paired statements. For example:
A: Misfortune is really brought about by people’s own actions.
B: Things that make us unhappy are largely due to bad luck.
If you agree it’s the first statement, you have an internal locus of control.
If you agree with the second, you have an external locus of control.
What does it mean to have an internal locus of control?
It is categorised by a belief that what happens in your life results from your own behaviour or actions.
E.g. if you did well in a test you might put it down to how much work you did for it.
What does it mean to have an external locus of control?
You hold the belief that events in life are caused by external factors, like luck or the actions of others.
E.g. if you did well in a test you might put it down to good questions coming up, or a lenient examiner.
What does your type of locus of control (LoC) mean for your resistance to social influence?
People with an internal LoC feel a stronger sense of control over their lives than people with an external LoC.
This means they’re more likely to exhibit independent behaviour — i.e. they’re less likely to conform or obey.
People with an external LoC may be more likely to conform or obey.
