Resistance to social influence

• Resistance to social influence

  the ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority. This ability is influenced by situational and dispositional factors
• Social Support

  The presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others do the same. These people act as models to show resistance to social influence is possible
• Locus of control (LOC)


  the extent to which people think they're in control of their own lives.
• Internal Locus of Control

  believe they are mostly responsible for what happens to them
• External Locus of Control


  believe that things happen because of luck, fate or other external forces beyond the control of the individual.
• What percentage of people in Ash's study refused to give a single incorrect response?

  25%
• What percentage of participants in Milgram's experiment refused to continue to the highest shock level?

  35%
• What does resistance to social influence mean?

  It means being able to hold out against the pressure to conform or obey.
• What is required for an individual to resist social influence?

  The individual must confront the group or authority figure and remain consistent with their own desired behavior and opinions.
• What was the mean conformity rate in Ash's study?

  32%
• What does it mean that 75% of participants conformed at least once in Ash's study?

  It means that a majority of participants gave in to social pressure at least once during the trials.
• What is the significance of the 25% of participants who did not conform in Ash's study?

  They demonstrated the ability to resist social pressure and maintain their independent judgment.
• What percentage of participants in Milgram's experiment continued to the end?

  65%
• What is social support in the context of resistance to social influence?

  Social support refers to individuals providing assistance by going against the group or authority figure.
• How does social support affect conformity?

  It breaks the unanimity of the group and provides an alternate group to belong to.
• What role does a non-conformist ally play in resistance to social influence?

  A non-conformist ally helps to break the group's unanimity and encourages others to resist.
• In Milgram's study, what was the effect of having Confederate teachers act as social support?

  It resulted in a drop in obedience rate from 65% to 10%.
• How did Ash's unanimity variation affect conformity rates?

  It caused a drop in conformity rate from 32% to 5.5%.
• What does the presence of a dissenting Confederate do in a conformity experiment?

  It breaks the unanimity of the group and allows others to feel more comfortable resisting.
• Who created the locus of control scale?

  Julian Rotter
• What characterizes individuals with an internal locus of control?

  They believe they have personal control over their lives and take responsibility for their outcomes.
• How does an external locus of control affect an individual's ability to resist social pressure?

  Individuals with an external locus of control are less likely to resist social pressure because they attribute their actions to external factors.
• How do individuals with an internal locus of control respond to group pressure?

  They are more likely to resist group pressure because they believe in their ability to make correct decisions.
• What did Holland's replication of Milgram's study reveal about locus of control?

  37% of those with an internal locus of control refused to continue to the higher shock level compared to 23% of those with an external locus of control.
• What does the difference in refusal rates in Holland's study suggest about locus of control?

  It supports the idea that an internal locus of control helps resist the pressure to obey.
• What correlation did Spectre's research find regarding locus of control and conformity?

  There was a significant correlation between having an internal locus of control and being able to resist normative social influence.
• What does the lack of correlation between locus of control and informational social influence suggest?

  It suggests that internals do not feel a need to conform to be liked but will conform if they believe the group is correct.
• What is a criticism of the relationship between locus of control and resistance to social influence?

  The relationship is correlational, and other factors may also influence resistance to social influence.
• What are some factors that could be related to having an external or internal locus of control?

  Social anxiety, personal morality, and social status.
• What are the two explanations of resistance to social influence discussed in the material?

  • Situational explanation: Social support
  • Dispositional explanation: Locus of control
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of social support as a factor in resistance to social influence?

  Strengths:

  • Provides a role model for resistance
  • Breaks group unanimity

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Some individuals still conform despite social support
  • Social support may not be effective for everyone
• How does locus of control influence resistance to social influence?

  • Internal locus of control: More likely to resist social pressure
  • External locus of control: Less likely to resist social pressure
• What are the implications of the research findings on locus of control and resistance to social influence?

  • Internal locus of control correlates with higher resistance to obedience
  • External locus of control correlates with lower resistance to social influence
  • Other factors may also play a role in resistance
• Albrecht et al (2006) 


  evaluated a programme designed to help pregnant teenagers resist smoking

  • Social support was provided to some of the teenagers by an older mentor
  • At the end of the 8 week programme, they found the participants who had a mentor were less likely to smoke than the control group who did not have a mentor:
•  Rotter (1982)


  Suggests our locus of control only has influence in new situations.

  
  

  If they have previously obeyed or conformed to a situation, it is likely they would do so again, no matter whether their locus of control is internal or external
• Holland (1967)

  Repeated Milgram's baseline experiment and found that 37% of those participants who were measured to have a high internal locus of control did not continue to the highest shock, whereas only 24% of participants who were measured to have a high external locus of control did not continue to the highest shock level:

  • This shows those with a high internal locus of control have a greater resistance to authority