Chapter 8

Question 1

Social influence

Answer 1

The many ways people affect one another, including changes in attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and behavior resulting from the comments, actions, or even the mere presence of others

Question 2

Conformity

Answer 2

Changing one’s beliefs or behavior to more closely align with those of others, in response to explicit or implicit pressure (real or imagined) to do so

Question 3

Compliance

Answer 3

Responding favorably to an explicit request from another person

Question 4

Obedience

Answer 4

In an unequal power relationship, submitting to the demands of the person in authority

Question 5

Informational social influence

Answer 5

The influence of other people that results from taking their comments or actions as a source of information about what is correct, proper, or effective

Question 6

Normative social influence

Answer 6

The influence of other people that comes from the desire to avoid their disapproval and other social sanctions (ridicule, barbs, ostracism)

Question 7

Internalization

Answer 7

Private acceptance of a proposition, orientation, or ideology

Question 8

Foot-in-the-door technique

Answer 8

A compliance approach that involves making an initial small request with which nearly everyone complies, followed by a larger request involving the real behavior of interest

Question 9

Pluralistic ignorance

Answer 9

A phenomenon whereby people act in ways that conflict with their true attitudes or beliefs because they believe others don’t share them. When a great many people do so, their behavior reinforces the erroneous group norm

Question 10

Descriptive norm

Answer 10

The behavior exhibited by most people in a given context

Question 11

Prescriptive norm

Answer 11

The way a person is supposed to behave in a given context; also called injunctive norm

Question 12

Norm of reciprocity

Answer 12

A norm dictating that people should provide benefits to those who benefit them

Question 13

Reciprocal concessions technique (door-in-the-face)

Answer 13

A compliance approach that involves asking someone for a very large favor that will certainly be refused and then following that request with one for a smaller favor (which tends to be seen as a concession the target feels compelled to honor)

Question 14

Negative state relief hypothesis

Answer 14

The idea that people engage in certain actions, such as agreeing to a request, to relieve their negative feelings and feel better about themselves

Question 15

Reactance theory

Answer 15

The idea that people reassert their prerogatives in response to the unpleasant state of arousal they experience when they believe their freedoms are threatened