Social learning : Resistance to social influence Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is meant by resistance to social influence?
The ability to resist the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority
What is a situational factor for resisting social influence?
Social support
What is social support and how does it help us to resist 1. conformity and 2. obedience? Refer to studies!
Social support - the presence of other people who resist pressures to conform/obey can help others to do the same - these people act as models to show that resistance to social influence is possible
Resisting conformity:
In Asch’s research, when one of the confederates didn’t conform (+ instead gave the correct answer) conformity levels in P.s decreased. This is due to the fact that the majority was no longer unanimous so the P.s felt more freedom to think independently, as they now had the social support to do so.
Resisting obedience:
In one of Milgram’s variations, the rate of obedience decreased when the P. was joined by a disobedient confederate. This could be because the disobedient model challenges the legitimacy of the authority figure, making it easier for others to also disobey.
Evaluate the influence of social support
Strength: There is research evidence for the positive effects of social support
- Susan Abrecht et al. - Teen Fresh Start USA ( a programme designed to help pregnant teens resist peer pressure to smoke ) - social support provided by a ‘buddy’ - by the end, teens who had a ‘buddy’ were less likely to smoke than a control group who didn’t
This shows that social support can help people resist social influence in real life situations
Strength: There is research evidence to support the role of dissenting peers in resisting obedience
- Gameson et al. - when P.s put in groups, 88% disobeyed their orders to produce evidence to help with a smear campaign
This means having social support from a group makes resisting social influence much easier and can lead to increased disobedience
What is a dispositional explanation of resisting social influence?
Locus of control
Who proposed LOC?
Rotter
What is LOC?
A measurement of an how much control an individual believes they have over their own life
What is meant by internal LOC? How does this impact resistance?
People believe they are mostly in control of what happens to them and that their behaviour is up to them. People with high internal LOC are more independent and take responsibility for their own actions so are more able to resist social pressures
What is meant by external LOC? How does this impact resistance?
People believe that what happens to them is out of their control and instead due to fate/luck. They are less likely to resist social pressures and are more obedient, seeing as they are more likely to act as an ‘agent’ to someone else
Evaluate LOC
Strength: There is research evidence supporting the link between LOC and resistance
- Atgis - meta analysis of studies researching LOC + resistance - found that people with high external LOC were more susceptible to social influence
- Oliner and Oliner - interviewed non-jewish survivors of WWII - found those who had resisted orders ( helped the jewish people ) were more likely to have high internal LOC than those who obeyed the Nazi’s
Weakness: There is evidence that questions the link between LOC + resistance
- Twenge et al. - analysed data from american LOC studies over 40 yr period - found that over the years people became more resistant to obedience yet also scored higher on the external LOC - opposite to what Rotter’s research suggests
