Resistance, minority influence and social change

• What is the concept of social support in the context of resistance to social influence?


  Social support helps individuals resist social influence by providing an independent assessment of reality.
• How does social support affect the unanimity of the majority's position?


  Social support breaks the unanimity of the majority's position.
• What role do non-conformists and disobedient models play in social influence?


  They act as models that can encourage resistance to social influence.
• What was the result of Asch's variation study regarding social support?


  Conformity dropped from 33% to 8% when one ally gave the right answer.
• What did Milgram's variation study find about social support?


  Only 10% of participants continued to 480V when two other teachers refused to continue.
• What did Gamen et al. find regarding participants in a smear campaign?

  They found higher levels of resistance (29 out of 33 groups) than in Milgram's study.
• What is the definition of locus of control?


  Locus of control is the sense of control people have over the events in their lives.
• How do individuals with an internal locus of control perceive events in their lives?


  They believe that events are largely controlled by their own actions, such as hard work.
• What do individuals with an external locus of control believe?


  They believe that events happen without their control, often attributing outcomes to luck or fate.
• What did the meta-analysis by Avtgis reveal about locus of control and conformity?


  Those with a higher external locus of control were more easily persuaded and likely to conform.
• What did Houland find in relation to Milgram's study and locus of control?


  37% of 'internals' did not continue to 450V, compared to only 23% of 'externals.'
• What are the strengths and limitations of social support in resisting social influence?


  Strengths:

  • Real-world support demonstrated in programs like Teen Fresh Start USA.
  • Adolescents with a buddy were less likely to smoke.

  
  

  Limitations:

  • Social support does not always help; effectiveness can vary.
  • Example: A dissenter with poor eyesight had limited resistance.
• What are the contradictory research findings regarding locus of control?


  • Rotter suggests locus of control is not the most important factor in resistance.
  • Its role depends on the situation and may not apply to all contexts.
  • Some studies show that people become more resistant to obedience when they have an external locus of control.
• What are the key characteristics of effective minority influence?


  • Consistency: Increases interest over time or among individuals.
  • Commitment: Demonstrates certainty and confidence.
  • Flexibility: Willing to negotiate rather than enforce rigid positions.
• What was the procedure of Moscovici's (1969) study on minority influence?


  Four naive participants and two confederates judged the color of blue slides.
• What were the findings of Moscovici's study regarding consistent and inconsistent minorities?


  The consistent minority influenced the majority to say green on 8% of trials, while the inconsistent minority influenced only 1%.
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Moscovici's study on minority influence?


  Strengths:

  • High internal validity due to controlled conditions.
  • Reliable results as the study can be replicated.

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Gender bias as only women were included.
  • Artificial tasks limit ecological validity.
• What are the steps involved in social change through minority influence?


  1. Drawing attention to an issue.
  2. Consistency in message and behavior.
  3. Creating cognitive conflict.
  4. Augmentation principle: suffering for the cause.
  5. Snowball effect: gradual spread of influence.
  6. Social cryptomnesia: forgetting how change occurred.
• What did Nolan's research aim to achieve regarding social change?


  Nolan aimed to see if he could change people's energy usage habits.
• What were the results of Nolan's study on energy usage?


  There was a significant decrease in energy usage in the first group that received normative messages.
• What are the limitations of using normative social influence (NSI) for social change?


  • NSI does not always lead to change; small reductions in drinking were found.
  • Long-term social change is not guaranteed through NSI interventions.
• How does minority influence contribute to social change?


  • Minority influence inspires divergent thinking.
  • It leads to better and more creative decisions on social issues.
  • Dissenting minorities stimulate new ideas and open minds.
• What are the challenges to the role of deeper processing in minority influence?


  • Mackie argues that minority influence creates deeper processing.
  • People think more deeply when confronted with opposing views.
  • This challenges the validity of deeper processing as a central element of minority influence.
• What barriers do minorities face in achieving social change?


  • Stereotypes and negative associations hinder acceptance.
  • Environmentalists may be viewed negatively, affecting their influence.