The presence of a dissident (a confederate who did not conform) led to a decrease in the conformity levels in true participants
Presence of a dissident
Gave the true participant social support and made them feel more confident in their own decision and more confident in rejecting the majority position
Social support
Decreases obedience to authority
Milgram study variation
1. Two other participants (confederates) were also teachers but refused to obey
2. Confederate 1 stopped at 150 volts
3. Confederate 2 stopped at 210 volts
4. The presence of others who are seen to disobey the authority figure reduced the level of obedience to 10%
Locus of control
How much control a person feels they have in their own behavior
Internal locus of control
People perceive themselves as having a great deal of personal control over their behavior and are therefore more likely to take responsibility for the way they behave
External locus of control
People perceive their behaviors as being a result of external influences or luck
Internal locus of control
People are less conforming and less obedient (i.e. more independent)
Rotter proposes that people with internal locus of control are better at resisting social pressure to conform or obey, perhaps because they feel responsible for their actions
