Chapter 8: Social Influence- Changing Others Behaviour

Question 1

What is social influence

Answer 1

Efforts by one or more people to change your attention behaviour attitudes or feelings of one or more others

Question 2

What are the 3 main forms of social influence

Answer 2

Conformity which involves efforts to change others behaviour through norms which are general rules we follow based on social understanding.

Compliance involves efforts to change others behaviour through direct requests.

Obedience involving following direct orders from others.

Question 3

What is unintentional social influence

Answer 3

Influence that occurs when other people change our behaviour without intending to do so.

Question 4

What is the introspection illusion

Answer 4

Refers to the fact that conformity occurs no consciously at times and escapes out introspection.

Question 5

What are the kind of conformity and it’s acceptance

Answer 5

Public conformity: doing or saying what around us say or do.

Private acceptance : coming to feel or think as others do.

Question 6

What are the factors affecting conformity

Answer 6

Cohesiveness and conformity: cohesiveness is the extent to which we are attracted to a certain social groups and want to belong to it.

Conformity and group size:
Conformity increases with increase of group size

Conformity and status
One source of status is seniority

Question 7

What are descriptive and injunctive social norms

Answer 7

Descriptive norms are ones that describe what most people do in a given situation and influence behaviour by informing us about what’s seen as effective and appropriate in a situation

Injunctive norms specify how people should behave in a given situation.

Question 8

What is the normative focus theory

Answer 8

Suggest that norms will influence behaviour only to the extent that they are salient to people involved at the time the behaviour occurs.

Question 9

What is the actor observer effect

Answer 9

It refers to the fact that we tend to attribute our own behavior to external causes but the actions of others to internal causes like personality.

Question 10

What is synchronous behaviour

Answer 10

Behaviour in which individuals match their actions to those of others.

Question 11

In what instances does minority groups successfully influence majority groups

Answer 11

1. When members of these groups are consistent in opposition to majority opinion
2. Members of minority must avoid appearing to be rigid and dogmatic.
3. General social context in which a minority operates.

Question 12

What are the 6 factors of compliance

Answer 12

Friendship:
Involves impression management
Ingratiation
Flattery 
Self promotion
Incidental similarity

Commitment:
Foot in the door technique: presenting small request and then following with greater on that was the goal.
Consistency: once yes to small request made refusing other bigger ones becomes harder.
Lowball procedure: offering a good deal but then changing it to less advantageous one.
The lure effect: intented target of a request is first asked to agree to do something appealing.

Scarcity
The deadline technique: general rule based on idea that things that are scarce will disappear
Playing hard to get: making a person believe that others want you as much as they do.

Reciprocity
The door in the face technique: people seeking compliance start with big request and when rejected shifted to smaller request which wanted all along
That’s not all technique: initial request followed before target person responds by inhancing deal like an incentive.

Social validation
Authority

Question 13

What is obedience

Answer 13

When a person directly orders one or more persons to behave in specific ways.

Question 14

What are the reasons for destructive obedience

Answer 14

1. People in authority relieve those who obey of the responsibility for their own actions
2. Authority figures possess signs of status and remind individual of social norm to obey those in charge.
3. Involves gradual escalation of authority figures orders
4. Events in situations involving destructive obedience quickly change pace.

Question 15

How can you resist effects of destructive obedience

Answer 15

1. Individuals exposed to commands from authority can be reminded that they are responsible for any harm produced.
2. Individual can be provided clear indication that beyond a certain point of submission to destructive commands is inappropriate.
3. Individuals may find it easier resisting influence from authority if they question the expertise and motives of figures
4. Knowing about the power of authority to command obedience may by helpful.

Question 16

What is emotional contagion

Answer 16

Through which moods spread from one person to another.

Question 17

What are mirror neurons

Answer 17

They are neurons that respond as strongly when we observe another person’s actions or expressions of emotions as when we perform these actions and experience these emotions ourselves.

Question 18

What is symbolic social influence

Answer 18

Thoughts of reactions of other people may have strong effect on ourselves and attitude.

Question 19

What mechanism are involved in perceiving others psychological presence

Answer 19

The extent that other people are present in our thoughts which can trigger relational schemas

The psychological presence of others may trigger goals which person is associated or goals they want us to achieve.

Question 20

What is observational learning

Answer 20

Refers to situation in which we learn from observing others and then doing what we saw also called imitation.