SITUATIONAL FACTOR

• SITUATIONAL FACTOR AFFECTING RESISTANCE TO SOCIAL INFLUENCE?

  social support
• WHAT IS SOCIAL SUPPORT?

  factor that enables people to resist social influences or the pressure to conform
• RESEARCH SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL SUPPORT?

  ASCH

  • simple line comparison task to test effect of unanimity on conformity
  • added dissenting confederate to agree with participant
  • resistance increased from 63% to 95%

  MILGRAM

  • added disobedient confederates who refused to administer shocks
  • resistance increased from 35% to 90%

  CONCLUSIONS

  • more confident to share answer/ resist pressures due to social support
  • not solely independent
  • social support is a credible explanation as show how more participants resisted when given social support
• CRITICAL POINTS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT?

  FAILS TO CONSIDER DISPOSITIONAL FACTORS

  • Oliner and Oliner
  • high internal locus of control more likely to resist pressures to conform/ obey in Nazi Germany
  • Schurz (ILoC more likely to accept responsibility)
  • cannot alone explain resistance

  FAILS TO CONSIDER MEDIATING FACTORS

  • Allen and Levine
  • Asch-type task
  • 64% refused to conform with good-eyesight dissenter
  • 36% refused to conform with bad-eyesight dissenter
  • 3% refused to conform with no dissenter
  • extent to which social support influences resistance is dependent on status of supporter