Influence by Robert Cialdini Flashcards
What are the 6 influencing Principles?
ACLRSS
- authority
- commitment
- liking
- reciprocity
- scarcity
- social proof
explain system complexity reduction Pros and COns
People develop a natural bias to making certain decisions to simplify complex situations, it allows for:
Pros
- FAster decision making
- using less energy on decision
Cons
• they are like pre programmed short cuts that can be used to manipulate us. eg price = quality
Explain how reciprocation works. Give 3 examples
When given something for free, people feel obliged to return the favour
Example 1. Hare Krishna flowers at airport
- Free samples at supermarkets
- Guys buying dates expensive drinks or dinners
Explain Concessions and the Rejection and Retreat Technique
People feel more obliged to make a concession to us if we have made a concession to them.
Technique
- Make a big inital request (bigger than you want)
- It will be turned down,.
- Come back with a smaller request (which you always wanted)
- the reciever is more likely to accept as they feel you have comceded something to them
give example of when this Explain Concessions and the Rejection and Retreat Technique may be used
Salesman asking for referrals for other people who may what something that the buyer has said no to.
Explain why Concessions and the Rejection and Retreat Technique works
people feel more part of the agreement. They feel like they produced the concessions and influenced the outcome. So they feel more responsible for the outcome.
Explain how to avoid getting manipulated by Concessions and the Rejection and Retreat Technique
the moment you realize there’s a trick behind the initial gift you can redefine the gift as a sales tactic and free yourself from the reciprocity rule.
Explain Commitment and Consistency 4 points
- The principle of commitment and consistency is that of aligning actions, feelings, values, and beliefs.
- When actions and feelings are dis-aligned for example we feel cognitive dissonance, which is a sensation of mental discomfort.
- In that case, we might change our beliefs to justify our actions, or we will rationalize our actions in a way that will make us feel “good” about ourselves
- Meaning: we convince ourselves we have done the right choice.
Commitment and Consistency Explain the “how are you” manipulation What were the different % of giving?
- Solicitors asking for donations might ask you “how are you” first to make you admit you’re doing fine.
- After you stated aloud you’re good it’s then easier to corner you into aiding those for who are not as well as you are.
- The solicitor would say something like Manipulator: “I’m glad to hear you are well, because I’m calling to see if you’d be willing to make a donation for the unfortunate victims of X for whom things are not going too well”.
- Research by Daniel Howard showed an 18% agreement to people asked if they’d be willing to help the hunger relief program.
- But after asking “how are you feeling this evening” the percentage jumped to 32%.
Commitment and Consistency Explain The foot in the door Technique and self image Give an example
The foot in the door technique uses the Commitment and Consistency principle by starting small and then asking for more after the initial commitment has been done.
- Freedman and Fraser asked homeowners to install a big “drive carefully” billboard on their front lawns. 83% refused.
- But when a different group was asked to put a small 8cm sign and then asked for the billboard, 76% agreed.
Commitment and Consistency Explain The foot in the door Technique and self image Give an example re unrelated commitments
- Astoundingly another group agreed 50% of the times after they had signed a simple petition to “keep California beautiful”.
- Why would they accept a huge billboard after having signed a petition which was not even connected to driving safety?
- It’s because these people changed the way they looked at themselves: they started viewing themselves as active citizens acting in the public interest.
- So when they were asked later to install a huge billboard to (hopefully) help bring down road accidents they complied to stay consistent with their newly formed self-image.
Commitment and Consistency Explain the Low Ball Technique
- Start the ball rolling by giving a great deal or low risk deal,
- then later up the cost at which point other factors can come into play to make is more likely for them to continue with the arrangement
Commitment and Consistency Explain Actions Only Matter: The Chinese Brainwashing
People look at actions to determine personalities more than words.
- The Chinese in their efforts to converts POWs to communism realized that we also look at our own actions to assess who we are.
- So the Chinese built up from small actions to bigger and bigger commitments until they’d bring about full conversion to the communist ideology.
Commitment and Consistency Explain why Written Statements Increase Compliance
It increases the buyers focus on their own degree of commitment and involves a degree of effort on their part.
Commitment and Consistency Explain why Effort Increases Commitment Value Hazing
- People who spend a lot of effort to obtain something tend to value it more highly than if it had been very easy to obtain it.
- Cialdini says that’s the reason why so many groups have hazing and initiation procedures: making it difficult to enter a group makes the group more valuable