Social Support - Resistance to Social Influence

Question 1

What are examples of people resisting social influence?

Answer 1

Asch’s study - 25% participants didn’t conform

Milgram’ experiment - 35% didn’t obey

Hofling’s experiment - 1 nurse disobeyed

Zimbardo’s prison study - 2/3 resisted pressure to behave sadistically to the prisoners

Question 2

What are the 2 explanations for resistance to social influence?

Answer 2

Social support
Locus of Control

Question 3

What type of resistance is social support?

Answer 3

Situational (out of person’s control and due to environment around them)

Question 4

What are examples of social support?

Answer 4

Having an ally supporting their point of view

Another person present who isn’t conforming

Question 5

How does social support help a person?

Answer 5

Build confidence and remain independent
No longer have fear of being ridiculed (no more Normative Social Influence)
Less likely to obey orders and conform to pressures of others

Question 6

What are the 2 research supports for social support?

Answer 6

Asch’s study (1951)

Allen and Levine’s experiment (1971)

Question 7

What happened during Asch’s study that defends the argument of social support?

Answer 7

Conformity dropped to 5.5% when 1 correct dissenter

Conformity dropped to 9% when dissenter was incorrect

Question 8

What did Allen and Levine do (1971)?

Answer 8

Did an Asch-type experiment
Conformity still decreased with 1 dissenter - EVEN IF PERSON HAD VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS AND THICK GLASSES ON

Question 9

How does social support affect obedience?

Answer 9

Pressure to obey can be reduced if another participant is seen to obey

Question 10

What are the research supports for the effect of social support on obedience?

Answer 10

Milgram’s variation

Gamson et al (1982) - discussion

Question 11

How did Milgram’s variation demonstrate social support affecting obedience?

Answer 11

Rate of obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when real participants was joined by a disobedient confederate

Participants don’t always demonstrate confederate behaviour but have a will to follow their own conscience

Question 12

What happened in Gamson’s study?

Answer 12

Set situation for participants to rebel against unjust authority

Question 13

How did Gamson gather his participants and what did he do with them?

Answer 13

Advert in Michigan USA to take part in group discussion - standards of behaviour in community

People went to local Holiday Inn to attend and put in groups of 9

Met by fake confederate consultant from MHRC (fake company)

Question 14

What situation did Gamson put his participants in?

Answer 14

MHRC conducting research for oil company taking action on petrol station manager
- Manager been sacked for offensive lifestyle to community
- Manager said it was because he spoke aloud on tv about high petrol prices
Discussion filmed for court
Cameraman ask participants to argue in favour of the oil company

Question 15

What were the results of Gamson’s study?

Answer 15

32/33 groups rebelled in some away during discussion - developed group identity that cameraman’s wishes were unreasonable

23/33 - majority of group member refused to sign consent form allowing film to be used in court

9 groups threatened legal action

Question 16

What does Gamson’s study show?

Answer 16

Social Support can heal people rebel against authority as the participants in this study formed a group identity with each other against the cameraman

Question 17

What are the strengths of social support?

Answer 17

Lots of research support proving idea social support reduces social influence

Studies can be applied in real life (Gamson)

Question 18

What were all the research supports for Social Support?

Answer 18

Milgram variation
Gamson’s study

Asch’s study
Allen and Levine’s experiment

Question 19

How can the studies for social support be applied in real life?

Answer 19

Gamson’s study had high ecological validity
- participants unaware it was study
- no demand characteristics
- task given was very real to life

Question 20

What are the weaknesses of social support?

Answer 20

Theory only strong with low participants per group

Some people don’t need social support

Question 21

How is social support theory only strong with low participants per group?

Answer 21

Group sizes under 10 - dissenter makes big difference
Group sizes are massive in the real world - 100s - one dissenter won’t make a big difference

All studies explaining social support are restricted to small groups

Question 22

How do some people not need social support?

Answer 22

People with high self-efficacy more likely to no conform or disobey
PROVEN BY LUCAS’S STUDY (2006)
People don’t need social support to give confidence to resist social influence