1. Social Influence in Everyday Life
Objectives 1:
Social Influence in Everyday Life
To be able to describe explanations for independent behaviour and the ability to resist pressures to conform and obey.

2. Independent Behaviour
A lot of the research we have looked at so far is on why people obey or conform. However in all of those studies there were participants who resisted this pressure and behaved INDEPENDENTLY.

3. Independent Behaviour
63.2
In Asch’s original study ____% of the responses were non conformist.
In Milgram’s original study ____% of ppts did not obey to the full 450V.
In Hofling’s research __/22 nurses did not administer the drug when ordered to by the ‘doctor’. 35 1

4. Why?
Come up with as many reasons as you can why some people do not conform and/or do not obey authority

5. was designed to measure?
Complete the test
What do you think this
was designed to measure?

6. Objectives 2
To describe and evaluate locus of control as an explanation for why individual differences can influence independent behaviour.

7. Individual Differences
We have discussed factors that influence resistance to social influence, Rotter’s concept of locus of control is one explanation for the individual differences that lead to independent behaviour.

8. Locus of Control
Own decisions
Fate
Own effort
Luck
Circumstances
LOC = person’s perception of the control they have over their behaviour.
Measured on a scale between high internal and high external.

9. Locus of Control
High internals are more likely to perceive that they have personal control over their behaviour – therefore they are more likely to take personal responsibility.
High externals however perceive that they are influenced by luck/external factors – “it happened because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time”
What difference might we expect between internals and externals’ reactions to their exam results?

10. Locus of Control High internals:
Actively seek useful information – so are less likely to rely on the opinions of others.
Tend to be achievement orientated and are more likely to become leaders.
More able to resist coercion from others.

11. Practice Questions