Resistance to Social Influence

• What is independent behaviour in psychology?

  Behaviour not influenced by others
• How can resisting pressure to conform be easier?

  If others are also resisting conformity
• What does social support allow a person to do?

  Follow their own conscience
• What effect does seeing another person disobey have?

  It challenges the legitimacy of authority
• What is an internal locus of control?

  Belief in personal responsibility for outcomes
• What is an external locus of control?

  Belief that life is controlled by outside forces
• How do people with a high internal locus of control behave?

  They resist pressure to conform and obey
• What traits do people with a high internal locus of control tend to have?

  Self-confidence, intelligence, achievement-oriented
• What did Holland (1967) find in his study related to locus of control?

  Internals resisted obedience more than externals
• What does Twenge et al (2004) suggest about locus of control over time?

  People became more resistant but also more external
• What does Rotter (1982) suggest about locus of control's influence?

  It only influences new situations
• What happens if someone has previously obeyed a situation?

  They are likely to obey again
• What is social support in the context of conformity?

  Presence of others resisting pressure
• What did Asch investigate regarding conformity?

  The effect of unanimity on conformity
• How does a dissenter affect conformity?

  They act as an ally, decreasing conformity
• What did Milgram find when he replicated his study with a disobedient confederate?

  Obedience dropped from 65% to 10%
• What did Albrecht et al (2006) evaluate regarding social support?

  An 8-week program for pregnant adolescents
• What was the outcome of Albrecht et al's program?

  Adolescents with buddies smoked less
• What did Gamson et al (1982) find in their study?

  Higher resistance levels than Milgram's study
• What percentage of participants rebelled in Gamson et al's study?

  88% of groups rebelled against orders
• What are the key concepts related to resistance to social influence?

  • Independent behaviour
  • Social support
  • Locus of control (internal and external)
  • Influence of dissenting peers
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of locus of control as an explanation for disobedience?

  Strengths:

  • Supported by Holland's research
  • Validates internal locus of control

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Contradicted by Twenge et al's findings
  • Limited influence in familiar situations
• AO3 - What is a strength for Locus of Control?

  Research Support

  • Holland (1967) repeated Milgram’s baseline study and measured whether participants were internals or externals 
  • 37% of internals did not continue to the highest shock level whereas 23% of externals did not continue
  • This shows that resistance is at least partly related to locus of control, which increases the validity of locus of control as an explanation of disobedience
• AO3 - What is a limitation for Locus of Control?

  Contradictory Research

  • Twenge et al (2004) analysed data from American locus of control studies conducted over a 40-year period
  • The data showed that people became more resistant to obedience but also more external
  • This suggests that locus of control is not a valid explanation of how people resist social influence
• AO3 - What is a strength for Social Support?

  Real-World Research Support

  • Albrecht et al (2006) evaluated an 8-week programme to help pregnant adolescents resist peer pressure to smoke in which they were given a buddy as social support
  • At the end of the programme, adolescents who had a buddy were significantly less likely to smoke compared to a control group of participants without a buddy
  • This shows that social support can help young people resist social influence as in intervention in the real world
• AO3 - What is a strength for Social Support?

  Research Support for Dissenting Peers

  • Gamson et al (1982) told participants to produce evidence that they would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign 
  • The researchers found higher levels of resistance in their study than Milgram did in his in which 88% groups of participants rebelled against their orders
  • This shows that peer support can lead to disobedience by undermining the legitimacy of an authority figure