Resisting Social Influence - Lesson 8 PDF

Resisting social influence Lesson objectives: To be able to use knowledge of Asch and Milgram variations to understand situational factors that may influence people’s ability to resist social influence. obedience: My Lai Massacre, 1968 500 slaughtered Resisting obedience. Nelson...

Resisting social influence Lesson objectives: To be able to use knowledge of Asch and Milgram variations to understand situational factors that may influence people’s ability to resist social influence. obedience: My Lai Massacre, 1968 500 slaughtered Resisting obedience. Nelson Mandela:36 years imprisonment Rosa Parks 1955 – against segregation on US buses Suffragettes, 1913 – Emily Davidson Resisting social influence Refers to the ability of an individual to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey an authority figure. The ability to withstand social pressure is influenced by both situational factors (such as social support) and dispositional factors (such as an internal locus of control).  Situational factors & resistance to social influence What factors can make you less likely to conform and hence resist social influence? 1. 2. 3. 4.  Situational factors & resistance to social influence What factors can make you less likely to obey and hence resist social influence? 1. 2. 3. 4. Resisting Social Influence How many people resist?? Complete the % independent behaviour for the 3 studies we have looked at. POINT 1. Social support and resisting conformity When people feel that they are not the only non- conformist they feel more able to resist social influence: If people have social support, they may feel more able to resist the pressure to conform as they will not stand out from the crowd as much and subsequently do not encounter elevated levels of anxiety. Asch’s variation found … with a non-conformist peer, conformity dropped to 5.5% compared to 37% in the original study where all confederates gave the same incorrect answer. This shows…  POINT 2: social support and resisting obedience Individuals may find it easier to resist being obedient and behave independently when they have support from a disobedient peer: Milgram repeated his study using same procedure as original study but with a variation. Pps were allocated to the role of teacher, only this time they also had 2 fellow teachers alongside them. The other teachers and the learner were all confederates of the experimenter. 40 of the Pts were in a condition with rebellious stooges. In this condition one of the fake Pt’s (playing the role of the teacher) refused to give any further shocks at 150v and the second stooge also refused at 210v. Only 15% of Pt’s (6) continued to the top voltage of 450v. This suggests that having the support of one or two disobedient people makes an individual them question authority more and shifts them back to the AUTONOMOUS STATE.  EVALUATING SITUATIONAL FACTORS -resisting social influence SEE WORKSHEET