Resisting social influence Flashcards
(13 cards)
What is the internal and external locus of control
and who proposed it
Rotter et al proposed it
Internal locus of control - They believe they are in control of their own fate. Take responsibility for their own actions.
Less likely to obey and more likely to succeed
External locus of control - Believe things happen for a reason/ its out of their control and it is fate
More likely to obey .
Why does having an Internal locus of control mean your more likely to obey less
Because they take personal responsibility for their actions they base their decisions on their beliefs rather than another’s
Also they tend to be more self-confident and have a higher intelligence
These traits lead to a greater resistance to social influence
What is social support
The presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help other do the same.
These people act as models to show others resistance to social influence is possible
What is the effect of social support on conformity and what research supports it
- conformity is reduced by a dissenting peer
- The effect is not long lasting
Asch (line study) - The presence of one or more dissenting peers who didn’t say the wrong answer or said a different wrong answer made conformity drop from 32% - 5%
- Because Social support breaks the unanimous position of the majority
What is the effect of social support on obedience and what research supports this
- Obedience is reduced by one other dissenting partner
- The dissenters disobedience frees the participant to act on their own conscience
Milgram - The presence of a dissenting partner who didn’t conduct the electric shock made obedience drop from 65% - 10%
. Because Social support means people are more confident to resist obedience as they can find an ally who is willing to join them
How would you evaluate social support
- Research support (Asch)
- Real world support (Albrecht et al)
- Support isn’t always effective
How would you evaluate social support
(research support Asch)
strength from research by Asch’s conformity study, which clearly demonstrates how social support reduced conformity. When Asch introduced a confederate who gave a dissenting answer conformity dropped from 33% to 5.5%. Showing that even one person disagreeing with the majority gives the confidence to reject the group. Importantly the ally didn’t have to be correct as the presence alone was enough to break the unanimity of the group.
Supports the fact social support encourages resistance by making peoples views seem less isolated.
How would you evaluate social support
(Real world support Albrecht et al.)
A strength is evidence from real life settings. Albrecht et al. evaluated a programme helping teenagers avoid being peer pressure into smoking. Participants with a ‘buddy’ (older supportive peer) were less likely to start smoking than those without. Suggests social support is not a theoretical odea from lab experiments but can be generalised to real life. Increasing the external and practical value of the explanation.
How would you evaluate social support
(Support isn’t always Effective)
Social support does not always guarantee resistance. Research by Allen and Levine found participants were more likely to resist conformity when the dissenter seemed competent. When the dissenter wore thick glasses and had claimed vision problems their influence was weaker. Suggesting social support is only effective if the dissenter is seemed as credible. It limits the explanation as it shows not all dissent leads to resistance the context and supporter matter too.
How would you evaluate Locus of control
- Research support Holland
- Contradictory evidence Twenge et al.
- LOC may only apply in some situations
How would you evaluate Locus of control
(Research support Holland)
In a Milgram style experiment Holland found 37% of participants with an internal locus of control resisted going to the highest voltage level compared to only 23% with an external locus of control. This suggests people with an internal LOC who believe they control their behaviour are more likely to resist pressure. This provides strong support for the LOC as a dispositional factor in resisting social influence and also its validity
How would you evaluate locus of control
(contradictory evidence Twenge et al)
However, there is evidence that challenges the link between LOC and resistance. Twenge et al found over a 40-year period people in the US became more resistance to obedience - but also more external. This contradicts the theory as we would expect increasing resistance to be connected to being more internal.
These findings suggest that the LOC may not explain the resistance behaviour it could be changing social norms, education etc that play a larger role
How would you evaluate locus of control
(LOC may only apply in novel situations. Rotter)
May only predict resistance in unfamiliar or new situations. According to Rotter in familiar scenarios people are more likely to rely on past experiences or habits rather than their LOC. For example, someone might resist peer pressure in a new job because of there internality but conform in a familiar friendship group out of habit
This suggests the LOC is not always a consistent predictor of resistance and its influence may depend on the situation.
