College 7 Flashcards
The principle of Cialdini
They explain the reason we say yes to a request, they look for compliance.
Most social influence research deals with compliance (“saying yes”).
Attitude or knowledge do not necessary change.
What is the principle of Cialdini useful for?
- It facilitates our buying intention
- Social influence on the action level (DAGMAR)
What is the clik-whirr in the principle of Cialdini?
“Mindlessness” => scripts & heuristics.
The quick answer is mindless because you use scripts & heuristics.
We don’t necessarily listen to the request; we just respond to it.
These principles don’t work very long, they are more effective short term than long term.
Social influence principles less effective for long term change.
Social proof
People tend to follow others, especially people that are similar to us.
Why?
People follow others because
- Need for approval: want to be similar to others, want to belong.
- Need for correct information: others can provide information we do not have.
o When you are uncertain, you look to others for the information and follow them.
Study by Asch (1951) on conformity
They show a line and show reference lines. The first time, everyone says the right answer. But after the third round everyone start to say the wrong answer. This makes the participant doubt himself and in the end he agrees with the wrong answer that the rest gives.
The elevator experiment
Normally, when you walk into the elevator, you face the elevator doors. If everyone starts facing the back of the elevator, will the participants follow? In an example, on the fourth floor, the participant has turned fully to the back of the elevator.
Goldstein et al. (2008) on social proof
Social proof and persuasion: show that similar others performed the desired behaviour.
Text on labels in hotels?
- Help the hotel save energy.
- Partner with us to help the environment.
- Almost 75% of guest reuse towels.
- 75% of the guests who stayed in this room reuse towels.
In this order, the percentage of towels reused went up.
Can social proof have a negative effect?
Yes
E.g., “Most students drink moderately”
This might be smart for students who drink more, but this can also reinforce the norm that students drink. So more students might start to drink because of this.
Commitment/consistency
Inconsistency = dissonance = feels bad
E.g., I want to eat healthy, but…
How can people reduce dissonance?
- Remove dissonant cognition (‘crisps are not bad for my health’)
- Add new consonant cognitions (‘eating crisps makes me happy’)
- Change behavior!
What are the two steps when using a strategy based on commitment/consistency?
- Make people commit to something.
- Subsequent request: makes consistent behavior more likely.
When you are committed you want to stay consequent.
Which theories use commitment/consistency?
Foot-in-the-door technique
Low balling technique
Social labeling
Foot-in-the-door technique
Based on commitment/consistency.
Step 1: compliance with small request
- Temporarily changes self-view
Step 2: a related bigger request
- More likely to behave in line with self-view
Lowballing technique
Based on commitment/consistency.
Step 1: compliance with ‘small’ request
- Temporarily changes self-view
- ‘Mentally own’ the decision
- E.g., ‘It’s only for 200 dollars.” “Wow! I’m in”
Step 2: change conditions so that initial request becomes more costly
- More likely to behave in line with self-view
- E.g., “Sorry, but the manager says with taxes it comes to 300 dollars.”
Social labelling
Based on commitment/consistency.
Step 1: assign a label to a person
- Temporarily changes self-view
- E.g., “You are a sustainable person”
Step 2: ask for something in line with label
- More likely to behave in line with self-view
- E.g., possibility to choose environmentally friendly products
How does commitment/consistency work online?
Interesting connection/application: online commitment via public liking and hashtags.
This is a public commitment and this is very strong.
Reciprocity
People feel in debt when they get something from others and want to return the favor.
Why? Don’t want to owe people something.
Which theories use reciprocity?
Door-in-the-face technique
That’s not all technique
Door-in-the-face technique
Based on reciprocity.
- Big request first: which is declined.
o Sometimes unrealistic - Small request follows, feels like gift/ concession, which is reciprocated.
That’s not all technique
Based on reciprocity.
- Initial request is followed by adding something attractive or reducing something less desirable (e.g., price discount).
- When they are giving you a gift, they give you something extra. Then you are more willing to buy something because you want to reciprocate this gift that they are giving to you.
Reciprocity trap
Also connected to reciprocity: free sample
We’re giving samples of these away for free. Yes, FREE!
You want to give something back to them.
Sometimes you want to give something back that is more expensive than what you got for free.
- E.g., a free newspaper and then they ask for a subscription. Because you feel like you have to give something back you will subscribe faster.
Liking
People are more easily persuaded by others that they like.
Who do we like?
- People that are similar to us
- They are familiar
- Something that we are close to
- Age, gender, preferences, etc.
Liking similar others
- E.g., could be group members
- Age, gender, preferences, etc.
- Also: physical similarity, name-letter effect, etc.
Implication: similar other (based on target group) in advertising
