resistance to social influence

• social support: perception that a person has assistance available from other people within the group. increases independence, enables individuals to resist pressures to conform because it breaks the unanimity of the majority, disobedient peers act as a role model on which a person can base their own behaviour.
• ss AO3: supporting evidence, Asch's variation, one was one of confederates give the correct answers throughout, conformity dropped to 5%.
• ss AO3: response order important, support significantly more effective when the confederate gave the correct answers first rather than fourth.
• locus of control: persons perception of personal control of their own behaviour. strong internal LOC = less vulnerable to social influence, strong external LOC = believes what happens to them is determined by external factors eg. influence of others.
• LOC AO3: people more external than they used to be so less able to resist social influence. Twenge et al - found locus of control scores in US students had become more external between 1960-2002. could be due to increasing belief in young people that their fate was determined by luck.