AO3 - Locus of Control

• Research to support locus of control was conducted by Milgram + Elms. They interviewed Milgram's original participants and found that those who had an internal locus of control were significantly more likely to refuse to continue giving shocks, whereas those with an external locus of control were more likely to be within the 65% that went to 450V. Therefore supporting locus of control because those with an internal LOC were more likely to resist obedience and remain independent in their behaviour.
• Research to contradict locus of control as an explanation of resistance to social influence comes from Twenge, who analysed studies investigating locus of control over a 40 year period. The data also showed that over this time span, people became more resistant to social influence but also more external. Therefore if resistance was linked to locus of control, we would expect people to become more internal, suggesting that LOC is not a valid explanation.