Resistance to social influence

    Cards (17)

    • Why does social support make people more resistant
      Easier to stand up to authority with social support as they no longer need to take full responsibility
    • Aspects of personality influencing independence behaviour:
      Locus of control
    • Internal locus of control have stronger sense of self control over their lives
    • External locus of control have weaker sense of self control over their lives
    • External locus of control conform more easily
      Internal locus of control resist conforming
    • How can minority influence be powerful
      • Gaining influence and change the way the majority thinks
      • Majority take on beliefs of a consistent minority
    • 3 factors for minority influence to work
      • flexibility
      • consistency
      • commitment
    • Moscovici et al (1969) minority influence, Method
      • Lab experiment
      • 192 women (groups of 6)
      • Judged colour of 36 slides
      • All slides blue but brightness varied
      • 2/6 members of group were confederates
    • Moscovici et al (1969) minority influence, conditions:
      • Condition 1 confederates called all slides green
      • Condition 2 confederates called 24 slides green (inconsistent)
      • Control used with no confederates
    • Moscovici et al (1969) minority influence, results:
      • Control group: 0.25% slides called green
      • Condition 1(consistent) 32% slides called green at least once
      • Condition 2 (inconsistent) 1.25% slides called green
    • Moscovici et al (1969) minority influence, conclusion
      • Confederates despite been minority influenced real participants
      • Minority had more influence if they were consistent
    • Moscovici et al (1969) minority influence, evaluation

      • Lacked ecological validity --> lab experiment
      • Ps may have felt judging colour of slides was a trivial exercise
      • Ps may acted differently if principles were involved
      • Only carried out on women --> not generalisable to men
    • Nemeth et al repeat of Moscovici but asked all Ps to write colours they saw:
      • Confederates always answering green, they had no influence on the participants responses
      • Confederates varying responses had a significant effect on the participant's responses
      • Confederates have most influence if they are consistent and flexible
      • Confederates been rigid were seen as too unrealistic
    • Moscovici's convergence theory suggests that majority and minority influence are different processes
    • Moscovici convergence theory - Majority influence:
      • Compare behaviour to majority
      • Change behaviour to fit in without considering majority's view
      • Majority influence involves compliance
    • Moscovici convergence theory - minority influence:
      • When consistent people examine minority belief
      • Want understand why minority has its belief
      • People may privately accept view
      • Social pressure to conform may mean behaviour doesn't initially change
    • Minorities change view when committed:
      • Initially minority view may be seen as wrong as they don't match the norm
      • Show consistency without compromising
      • Create conflict as if the minority are consistent you may consider they might be right
      • If no reason to reject minority view you begin to see things the way the minority does