explanations of resistance to social influence

• What factors can explain resistance to social influence?

  Locus of control and social support
• What does locus of control measure?

  Individual's sense of control over life events
• How do people with an internal locus of control behave regarding conformity?

  They conform and obey less
• Why are individuals with a high internal locus of control more likely to be leaders?

  They take responsibility for their actions
• What is a characteristic of individuals with an external locus of control?

  They believe life events are beyond their control
• What did Atgis (1998) find regarding locus of control and conformity?

  High external locus leads to greater conformity
• What did Oliner and Oliner (1988) discover about rescuers during the Holocaust?

  They had an internal locus of control
• What limitation did Rutter suggest about locus of control?

  It is only valid for novel situations
• How does social support affect resistance to social influence?

  It provides confidence to reject majority influence
• What did Asch find about conformity levels when a confederate gave the correct answer?

  Conformity dropped to one quarter
• What was the effect of having a disobedient confederate in Milgram's study?

  Obedience dropped to 10%
• What did Gamson et al. find regarding larger groups and social support?

  Larger groups make resisting influence easier
• What does resistance to social influence involve?

  Not conforming or obeying authority figures
• What risks are associated with resisting social influence?

  Rejection or punishment from the group
• What is the continuum of locus of control?

  Most people are not purely internal or external
• What did Rank & Jacobson (1975) find in their study on social support?

  Nurses discussed orders and resisted obedience
• What did Holland (1967) find regarding internal locus of control in Milgram's experiment?

  37% of high internal LOC refused to continue
• What is a limitation of the social support argument?

  It does not account for individual differences
• What did Rotter (1982) point out about locus of control?

  It applies mainly to new situations
• What is social support in the context of social influence?

  Support from others resisting conformity or obedience
• What does resistance to social influence involve?

  Not conforming to the majority or obeying authority
• What risks are associated with resisting social influence?

  Rejection from the group or punishment
• How does social support affect an individual's decision to resist?

  It allows individuals to follow their conscience
• What was the result of Asch's variation of unanimity?

  Conformity decreased from 32% to 5%
• What happened when one confederate gave a different incorrect answer in Asch's study?

  Conformity decreased to 9%
• What was the setup of Milgram's obedience research variation?

  Participants were grouped with two confederates
• What did the first confederate do when the shock generator reached 150 volts?

  He expressed a desire to stop the experiment
• What was the dropout rate of participants in Milgram's variation?

  90% dropped out before 450 volts
• How many participants required only one act of defiance to resist authority?

  30% of participants
• What does locus of control (LOC) refer to?

  Belief in control over one's life outcomes
• What scale did Rotter design to measure LOC?

  A scale assessing internal vs external LOC
• What characterizes a high internal locus of control?

  Feeling in control and responsible for behavior
• How do people with a high internal LOC behave under pressure?

  They resist pressure to conform and obey
• What characterizes a high external locus of control?

  Feeling no control over life outcomes
• How do people with a high external LOC behave under pressure?

  They struggle to resist conformity and obedience
• What is the continuum of locus of control?

  • LOC exists on a continuum
  • Most people are not purely internal or external
  • LOC may vary by situation
• What are the strengths of social support and locus of control in psychology?

  Strengths:

  • Rank & Jacobson's study supports social support
  • Holland's study shows validity of internal LOC
• What are the limitations of social support and locus of control in psychology?

  Limitations:

  • Not everyone resists social influence
  • Individual differences affect responses
  • LOC applies mainly to new situations