resistance to social influence

Question 1

what does the term resistance to social influence mean

Answer 1

the ability of individuals to oppose the pressure to conform to a majority group or obey an authority figure by maintaining personal autonomy and integrity in their thoughts, decisions and actions

Question 2

what must the individual do to resist social influence

Answer 2

they must confront the authority figure and remain consistent with their own desired thoughts and opinions

Question 3

what affects resistance to social influence

Answer 3

• social support
• locus of control

Question 4

what is the situational explanation for resistance to social influence

Answer 4

social support

Question 5

what was the overall conformity rate in Aschs study

Answer 5

overall across all critical trials was 32%

Question 6

how many people resisted Asch’s conformity tasks

Answer 6

25% of participants resisted the pressure to conform on all 12 critical trials

Question 7

what was the overall obedience rate in Milgrams study

Answer 7

65%

Question 8

how many resisted Milgrams obedience study

Answer 8

35% of participants resisted the pressure to obey by refusing to deliver the full 450V shock

Question 9

what is social support

Answer 9

the presence of others who defy authority figures or go against the majority opinion. even a single ally can significantly reduce the perceived risk of non conformity or disobedience

Question 10

how does social support help people resist influence

Answer 10

it gives individuals confidence to stand against majority pressure or authoritarian commands

Question 11

what are the benefits of social support in trying to resist influence

Answer 11

• associated with the diffusion of responsibility- the more people who disobey or dissent, the less severe the consequences are likely to be
• it counters feelings of isolation and vulnerability from dissent or defiance reinforcing the individuals resolve and legitimising resistance

Question 12

how does social support affect resistance to conformity

Answer 12

individuals with a non conformist ally are more likely to resist conforming to group pressure because the ally breaks the groups unanimity and creates an alternate group to belong to

Question 13

how does social support affect resistance to obedience

Answer 13

individuals with a disobedient role model are more likely to resist obeying the orders of an authority figure because the ‘role model’ challenges the ‘legitimacy of authority

Question 14

what is one strength of social support

Answer 14

social support has shown to help individuals resist the pressure to obey. Milgram conducted a variation of his original experiment in which he gave the participant social support in the form of two confederates ‘teacher’s’. one of these teachers refused to continue at 150V and 210V and the second teacher refused to continue. the obedience rate dropped from 65% to 10%. Milgram argues this was due to the defiant actions of the peers reducing the experimenters legitimacy of authority

Question 15

what is another strength of social support

Answer 15

social support has shown to help individuals resist the pressure to conform. in Aschs unanimity variation, one confederate breaks the unanimity of the group by giving the correct response and the conformity rate drops from 32% to 5.5%. in an experimental set up similar to Asch. Allen and Levine (1971) found that even when they gave the partipants a dissenting ally with thick glasses who claimed they had ‘extremely limited eyesight’. participants still used this invalid social support and conformity was significantly reduced.

Question 16

what is the dispositional explanation to resistance to social influence

Answer 16

locus of control

Question 17

what is locus of control measured as

Answer 17

its measured on a scale from internal to external (most people are at around the middle)

Question 18

what is locus of control

Answer 18

Rotters (1966) locus of control refers to a personality trait/belief system regarding what people consider to be causes of their experience and the factors that influence their successes or failures. this perspective influences how people percieve and interact with their environment

Question 19

what do individuals with an internal locus of control believe

Answer 19

they have personal control over their lives and the outcomes of their actions. they tend to attribute success and failure to their own efforts and abilities. they are more likely to take responsibility for their actions and are generally more active in seeking information and making decisions

Question 20

what do individuals with an external locus of control believe

Answer 20

external factors such as fate, luck or powerful others control their lives. they tend to attribute outcomes to outside forces rather than their own actions. people with a strong external locus of control may feel less empowered to affect change in their lives or resist social pressure

Question 21

how does locus of control affect resistance to conformity

Answer 21

individuals with an internal locus of control are more likely to resist conforming to group pressure because they believe in their ability to make judgements independantly and decisions. their sense of personal agency and responsibility encourages them to stand by their convictions even under social pressure

Question 22

how does locus of control affect resistance to obedience

Answer 22

individuals with an internal locus of control are more likely to resist obeying to an authority figure due to their sense of independance, self confidence and personal responsibility for their actions. they are willing to question the orders of an authority figure, ultimately defying commands that conflict their value or reasoning

Question 23

give a strength/weakness of locus of control

Answer 23

Holland (1967) replicated Milgrams study, participants were assessed for internal or external locus of control. 37% of those with an internal LOC refused to continue to the highest shock compared to 23% with an external LOC. however, whilst this suggests those with a high internal LOC are more able to resist pressure to obey, 63% of those with an internal LOC still obeyed suggesting LOC is a partial explanation of resistance to SI

Question 24

give another strength/weakness of locus of control

Answer 24

Spector (1983) 157 undergraduate participants completed a questionnaire that measured LOC and a questionnaire that measures the tendency to conform to normative and informational social influence pressure. there was a statistically significant correlation with internal LOC participants being more able to resist normative SI. however there was no correlation found between conforming to informational social influence and LOC suggesting internals dont need to conform to be liked but both externals and internals look to others for correct information and will conform if they feel the group is correct. suggests LOC does influence conformity but its not a complete explanation

Question 25

give a weakness of locus of control

Answer 25

the relationship between LOC and resistance to social influence is only correlational, there are other related factors that have been suggested as being involved in resistance to social influence such as level of social anxiety, sense of personal morality (individuals who see an action as morally wrong are likely to resist regardless of social pressures) and social status as individuals with a higher social status may feel more empowered to resist social pressure