1. starter

2. The authoritarian personality Adorno’s Research overview
2000 middle class white Americans
Interviewed about political views and early childhood experiences.
Used projective tests and neural stimuli to test whether they were racially prejudiced.
Individuals who have been brought up by strict parents who used harsh, physical punishment grew up to be obedient.
Developed strong respect for authority
Drew on Freud’s idea about the unconscious mind. Hostility felt by children towards their parents displaced onto those individuals they perceive as inferior/weak.

3. Developed F scale (authoritarian, nationalistic, right-wing)
30 questions measuring nine different personality dimensions
Unconscious attitude toward other racial groups
Authoritarian people: strong positive correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice. Identify with the strong and have fixed cognitive styles.
Extreme respect for authority, right or wrong attitude.

4. Answer the following questions page before 55

5. Submissive to authority figures
Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong
Respect for submission to acknowledged authority
A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power
Inflexible outlook
Ethnocentric
A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity
Traditional values
Prejudice
Obsession with rank and status
Preoccupation with power and toughness: Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different
A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group

6. Evaluation (page 55)
Research
Limited
Methodological limitations

7. The authoritarian personality page 56
8. Explain the dispositional explanation for obedience (4 marks)
9. Outline and evaluate one research study relating to the authoritarian personality explanation of obedience (6 marks)

8. Activity: page 57-58
Read through Sarah’s answer and highlight whenever you think A01 and A03 point have been made How could the answer be improved?

9. Correlation
Limited sample
Low education –
Better explanation?

10. Resistance to authority

11. Is it better to be resistant or obedient? Discuss.
Social resistance
Is it better to be resistant or obedient? Discuss.
Group discussion
Individually write your answer on mini white board. (10 minutes)

12. Resistance to social influence
Research studies carried out by Asch, Zimbardo and Milgram have shown how many people conform or obey when put under pressure.
However, in each of these studies, some individuals resisted the pressure put on them and retained their independence.
How many participants in Asch and Milgram’s retained their independence?
Asch: 24%
Zimbardo: 2/3
Hofling: 1
Milgram: 35%
(5 minutes)

13. What factors lead people to resist social pressure?
10 minutes

14. Social Influence Task: Questionnaire
5 minutes
Task: Questionnaire
Complete the questionnaire by circling the statement in each question that best
applies to you.
While you’re answering it, think about what your answers say about you…

15. Social Influence Task: Which Locus of Control are YOU? On your table….
5 minutes
Task: Which Locus of Control are YOU?
On your table….
According to the questionnaire, do you have a more internal or external locus of control? Or are you in the middle?
What does this say about you?
3) Are you more or less likely to resist social influence and act independently?
I have an …… locus of control
This means I…..
If you have an ….. locus of control…..you will…….. to social influence because….
Place it on the continuum according to your LOC score

16. Social Influence What is Locus of Control? (Rotter)
Locus of control refers to a person’s perception of personal control over their own behaviour. It is a personality explanation!
Measured on a scale of high internal to high external.
Internal
External
An individual who believes their life is determined by their own decisions and efforts.
An individual who believes their life is determined by fate, luck and external factors.

17. Internal locus of control or external locus of control?
Social Influence
Which type of LOC are likely to resist social influence?
Internal
External
An individual who believes their life is determined by their own decisions and efforts.
An individual who believes their life is determined by fate, luck and external factors.
Individual with an internal LOC are more likely to resist pressures to conform and obey
Internal locus of control or external locus of control?

18. Internality and resistance to social influence
Active seekers of information. Less likely to rely on information from others.
Achievement-orientated – more likely to become leaders as opposed to followers.
Better able to resist coercion from others
Characteristics individuals have who can resist social influence

19. How does this relate to Social Influence?
Internal vs. External
Type of LOC
Characteristics
How does this relate to Social Influence?
Internal
High level of personal control over their lives and behaviour. Take personal responsibility for it. ‘I made it happen!’
High internals actively seek out information which will help them personally and are less likely to rely on others.
They are more achievement orientated. They can resist pressure from others.
External
The belief that life is determined by external/environmental factors, such as luck. ‘Wrong place, wrong time!’
High Externals are more likely to be influenced by others as they don’t believe they exercise personal control over their lives.

20. Task: Which Locus of Control?
Decide which of the scenarios have an internal or external locus of control.
1) Amanda doesn’t bother applying for the position of Head Girl because she feels she is not popular enough to win.
2) Ben checks his horoscope every day to see if he is going to have a good or a bad day.
3) Harry feels confident that he will get the job he applied for because he has good exam results and did well in the interview.

21. Research Evidence for Locus of Control
Elms and Milgram (1974) investigated the background of some of the disobedient participants from Milgram’s first four obedience experiments. They found that disobedient participants had a high internal locus of control and scored higher on a scale that measured their sense of social responsibility
On the big whiteboard write a conclusion, 2 evaluation points of each piece of research and one practical application from the research.
feedback

22. Oliner & Oliner 1988) interviewed two groups of non-Jewish people who had lived through the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. They compared 406 people who had rescued Jews with 126 who had not done so. Oliner & Oliner found that the ‘rescuers’ were more likely to have scores demonstrating a high internal locus of control than the non-rescuers, and also scored more highly on measures of social responsibility
Why is this piece of research important?

23. Williams and Warchal (1981) studied 30 university students who were given a range of conformity tasks based on Asch’s procedure. Each student was also assessed using Rotter’s locus of control scale. They found that those who conformed did not score differently on the locus of control scale but they were less assertive, so assertiveness may have more to do with conformity than locus of control
What does this piece of research suggest?
Is the research correlational or cause and effect? What does this mean?

24. Spector (1983) used Rotter’s locus of control scale to determine whether locus of control is associated with conformity. From 157 students, Spector found that individuals with a high internal locus of control were less likely to conform than those with a high external locus of control, but only in situations of normative social influence, where individuals conform to be accepted.
Why might this be?
Rotter points out that LOC only is a factor in novel situations. It has very little influence over our behaviour in familiar situations , where our previous experiences will always be more important.

25. Page 67: exam questions

26. Exam practice: Answer on MWB
Asgarth and Hyacinth are students at Rydell High. They have very different outlooks on life. Asgarth believes you have to grasp opportunities with both hands because your fate is under your own control. That is why he has put his name forward to be his tutor representative on the school council. Hyacinth, on the other hand, thinks that ‘what will be will be’ and there's very little she can do to change that. She is also standing as tutor group rep, but thinks its just down to luck whether she wins or loses Exam question: Identify Asgarth and Hyacinth LOC (4 marks)
Identify Asgarth and Hyacinth LOC
Whoever wins the election will come under pressure to conform or obey. Will Asgarth or hyacinth be better able to resist social influence. Explain your decision.

27. Exam practice: Answer on MWB
Identify Asgarth and Hyacinth LOC (4 marks)
Asgarth is displaying an internal locus of control. This is when an individual has a high level of personal control over their lives and behaviour. They will take personal responsibility as can be seen with Asgarth stating ‘your fate is under your own control’. Whereas, Hyacinth has an external locus of control. The belief that life is determined by external/environmental factors, such as luck as seen by Hyaconth saying ‘What will be will be!’
Identify Asgarth and Hyacinth LOC
Whoever wins the election will come under pressure to conform or obey. Will Asgarth or hyacinth be better able to resist social influence. Explain your decision.

28. Social Influence Is LOC the only reason for resistance? London Riots
Why did these individuals decide to disobey authority?

29. Social support
Support from other people who are also defying the pressure to conform or obey. One reason that people can resist the pressure to conform or obey is if they have an ally, someone supporting their point of view. Having an ally can build confidence and allow individuals to remain independent. These people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible.
5 minutes

30. Social support can increase an individuals confidence that their own view or position is correct.
Individuals who have support for their point of view no longer fear being ridiculed, allowing them to avoid normative social influence. Furthermore, individuals who have support for their point of view are more likely to disobey orders.
Can you think of examples from your own life?

31. Research into social support
Studies showing how social pressure can be resisted from the support of other people
Milgram variation: teacher paired with two confederates who either refused to administer the shocks or obeyed the order.
10% continued to max 450V shock. When both obeyed: 92.5%
This shows that if the real participant has support for their desire to disobey, then they are more likely to resist the pressure of an authority figure
10 minutes
Find an ally to join them in opposing authority figure. Milgram variation team of three testing learner. Other two, confederates, refused to shock learner. Only 10% continued to max 450V shock. When both obeyed: 92.5
Asch dropped from 33% to just 5.5% - breaks the unanimous position of the majority. Other equally legitimate ways of thinking. Presence of an ally provides the individual with an independent assessment of reality - feel more confident in own decision/stand up to majority. Even when the answer was incorrect still didn’t change.
However showed that if this non-comforming person starts conforming again. So does the naïve participant. Thus the effect of dissent is not long lasting.

32. Research into social support
Asch: Unanimity variation.
Asch dropped from 33% to just 5.5%
This demonstrates that if the real participant has support for their belief (social support), then they are likely more likely to resist the pressure to conform.
10 minutes
Find an ally to join them in opposing authority figure. Milgram variation team of three testing learner. Other two, confederates, refused to shock learner. Only 10% continued to max 450V shock. When both obeyed: 92.5
Asch dropped from 33% to just 5.5% - breaks the unanimous position of the majority. Other equally legitimate ways of thinking. Presence of an ally provides the individual with an independent assessment of reality - feel more confident in own decision/stand up to majority. Even when the answer was incorrect still didn’t change.
However showed that if this non-comforming person starts conforming again. So does the naïve participant. Thus the effect of dissent is not long lasting.

33. Evaluation Resistance to conformity: Allen & Levine (1971)
Whether social support that was not particularly valid would also be effective in helping participants resist conformity.
Conformity decreases when one person dissents even if they are not credible in an Asch type study
Resistance not just motivated by following what someone else says but it enables someone to be free of the pressures from the group.
10 minutes

34. Evaluation Resistance to obedience: Gamson et al
set up a situation in which participants had to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign.
Obedience drops when disobedient role models are present.
29/33 (88%) of the groups dissented.
They did not want the company (MHRC) using the videotapes .

35. Exam focus
Describe & evaluate two explanations of resistance to social influence (12 marks)
Explain what is meant by locus of control (4 marks)
Using your knowledge of psychology, explain why some people might resist pressures to conform. (4 marks)

36. Question 1
Locus of control is how much a person believes that they have control over events that happen in their lives. This is usually measured along a scale with internal control at one end and external control at the other. Internal control refers to those people who see that they have a great deal of control over their own behaviour and will take responsibility for their own actions. External control refers to those who believe that their behaviour is controlled by other forces such as luck or fate.

37. Question 2 Have an internal locus of control Support of colleague
Prior commitment
 Dispositional Factors
Models of independence / non-conformity
Exposure to dissent.
Credit any other relevant explanation. Students may offer one explanation in detail or more than one but in less detail. There is a breadth-depth trade-off here.
Merely identifying reasons without any explanation, maximum 2 marks.

38. Description: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Description: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
One factor that leads individuals to resist pressures to conform or obey is support from others.
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
Social support can increase a person’s confidence that there own view or position is correct. Alternatively, the presence of other defiant people means that disobedient behaviour stands out less than if the individual acted alone.
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
In one of Asch’s variations to his study in which an ally also gave the right answer, conformity levels dropped from 33% to 5.5%.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
The ally (dissenter) provided a form of social support to the participant which led to them to resist the pressure to conform
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

39. Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
Asch’s finding’s about the importance of social support in resisting conformity is supported by evidence from Allen & Levine’s study.
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
They found that conformity was reduced on a task involving visual judgements if there was social support from dissenter, even if they wore glasses with thick lenses and admitted to having a sight problem.
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
This suggests dissenters help resist social influence even when they are not skilled in particular situations.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
(not always necessary)
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

40. Description: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Description: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
Social support has also been shown to be effective in helping people resist obedience.
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
Milgram found that the presence of disobedient confederates who were prepared to resist the authority’s requests acted as role models and made it more likely that the real participant would also resist.
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
Only 10% of participants gave the 450 v shock with social support from two confederates.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
This demonstrates how support from others increased the participants ability to resist orders
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

41. Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
A strength of Milgram’s finding that social support increases resistance to obedience is that there is research support.
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
Gamson et.al set up a situation in which participants had to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign.
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
Gamson et al found high levels of resistance to this with 29 out of 33 groups of participants rebelling against the task.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
This shows that peer support ( the participants worked in groups) is linked to greater resistance to obedience.
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

42. Description: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Description: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
An alternative explanation of resistance to social influence is that of Locus of control
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
People are better able to resist social influence if they have an internal locus of control. Individuals with a high internal locus of control believe they can affect the outcomes of situations.
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
Rotter who devised the locus of control scale believed that having an internal locus of control makes individuals more resistant to social pressure as they see themselves in control of a situation and believe they have the choice to conform or obey.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
(Not always needed, especially for description)
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

43. Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
A strength of the explanation that people with a high internal locus are more likely to resist pressures to obey is from research support.
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
…Elms & Milgram, who investigated the background of those participants who were classed as disobedient in Milgram…..
…..
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or give alternative
Found that disobedient participants had a high internal LOC and also scored highly on a social responsibility scale.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
Not always necessary
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

44. Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
Further support for the role of LOC and resisting social influence comes from…….
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
…..
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
Not always needed
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..

45. Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
Resistance to SI
Evaluation: How do you Elaborate?
PEEL
POINT
Make your point.
However, there are some limitations to the influence of locus of control.
EXPLAIN
Explain your point
For example, Spector found that an internal locus of control was important in resisting normative social influence but did not appear to be a significant factor in resisting informational influence.
EXAMPLE
EVIDENCE
Explain what the research shows or suggests.
In addition, Rotter points out that LOC only is a factor in novel situations. It has very little influence over our behaviour in familiar situations , where our previous experiences will always be more important.
LINK
Link it back to your point or the question.
This suggests that people who have conformed or obeyed in the past are likely to do so again, even if they have a high internal LOC.
Look at the mark scheme for a 24 marker and answer the questions..