resistance to social influence Flashcards
(10 cards)
what does resistance to social influence mean? (2)
● the ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to the majority
● and / or obey an authority figure
what does social support mean?
seeing one or more people around us who are themselves resisting social pressures to conform and/or obey
what did asch find about resisting conformity? (2)
● having another person who disagreed with the majority (breaking the unanimity of the group)
● made it more likely for the naive / real participant to resist conformity (conformity rates dropped to below 10%)
what did milgram find about resisting obedience? (3)
● when the naive participant (teacher) was given support from two other ‘teachers’ (both confederates)
● who both refused to continue with the study
● obedience rates dropped to just 10%
why does social support make it easier to resist conformity? (3)
● the first person to not conform in a group is known as a ‘model’
● models make it easier for people to answer / act in the way they believe or want
● rather than being influenced by the group
why does social support make it easier to resist obedience? (2)
● if we see others disobey, it may serve to conform our thoughts that the order we have been told to follow is not right
● this challenges the legitimacy of the authority figure
what does locus of control refer to? (3)
● refers to peoples perception of personal control over their own behaviours
● measured along a dimension of high internal to high external
● most of us would be somewhere between the two
what do people with an internal locus of control believe? (3)
● things that happen to them are largely controlled by themselves
● a strong internal locus of control is associated with the belief that one can control much of ones life and succeed in difficult or stressful situations
● e.g. performance on a test depends on how hard you work
what do people with an external locus of control believe? (3)
● what happens to them is controlled by external factors, including fate and luck
● they have a sense that ‘things happen to them’ which are largely uncontrollable (i.e., nothing they can do about it)
● e.g. performance on a test depends on ‘luck’ with the exam questions
which LOC will show greater resistance to social influence? why? (3)
● internal LOC - greater resistance to social influence
● people with a high internal LOC are more confident, more achievement orientated and less likely to rely on the opinions of others
● these traits lead to greater resistance and are the traits of leaders, who have less need for social approval
