Lecture 3 Flashcards
what is social influence
The study of how thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others
Who are we influenced by and what do we think of this influence
1) mass-media delivered by marketing source
2) mass-media delivered by non-marketing source
3) delivered personally by marketing source
4) delivered personally by non-marketing source
Reference groups
A set of people with whom we compare ourselves for guidance in developing attitudes, knowledge and or behavior
Reference group (rankings?)
Membership: yes/no
Strength link: Primary/secondary
Type of contact: Direct/indirect
aspirational reference groups
not yet a member
Associative reference groups
Already a member
Dissocial referene groups
Do not want to be a member
Aspirational reference groups
Want to be a part of (e.g. popular rich kid/ athlete/ frat)
Dissociative reference groups
Dont want to be a part of (e.g. unpopular, nerdy, frat)
conformity
changing ones behavior in response to information or pressure from others
Goal: align ourselves with the standards of the group
Why conform
to lean and to be included
Two kinds of conformity
Information social influence:
going along with others because others comments/information guides us as to what is correct and proper
value others opinion; generally useful information; adaptive advantage
Ambiguous, highly complex situations need answers right away; immediate action necessary
Looking for information from others
Leads to private attitude change
Normative social influence:
Going along with others in pursuit of social approval or belonging (and to avoid disapproval and rejection)
Need for acceptance; need for approval; want to be liked (rather than disliked)
Publicly consumed products, luxury products, high need for acceptance 8e.g. meeting new people, after exclusion)
Seeking social connection with others
Can lead to mere public compliance
Conformity: Informational social influence
: You are unsure how to behave during the lecture, you look around and see that the other students are quiet, so you are quiet as well
Compliance
Type of social influence that involves responding favorably to a direct request from another person
Liking
people are more likely to comply with people they like
Sources of liking:
Physical attractiveness (halo effect)
Similarity (age, religion, political views, smoking habits etc.) (chameleon effect = mimicry of postures etc)
Familiarity (mere exposure effect, friends)
The mere-exposure-effect (zajonc)
Unfamiliar Chinese symbols were evaluated in a sequence
Some symbols were shown repeatedly, others only once
Finding: the more frequently people were exposed to a symbol, the more attractive it was.
Familiarity boosts liking
Reciprocity
people repay in kind
Chairities (pennies, address labels)
Free samples
Free home inspection
Consistency
People fulfill public and voluntary commitments
Undersupplied toys
Foot-in-the-door technique
Door-in-the-face technique
-To be effective, commitments need to be (public and voluntary)
Social proof
People follow the lead of similar others
Canned laughter
Testimonials
Consumer online ratings (amazon, trip adviser)
Especially when:
Situation is ambiguous/uncertain
Others are similar
Authority
: People defer to experts
Experts provide shortcuts to decisions requiring specialized information
Expertise needs to be noticed
Diplomas on wall
Uniform
Scarcity
People want more of what they can have less of
Items are seen as more valuable as they become less available
For a limited time only
Limited editions
Auctions
Especially when:
They were more available before
They became less available because of others demand
Why do these principles work?
Because they are oftentimes adaptive
Liking – people who like each other typically trust each other
Reciprocity – social norm
Consistency – desirable personality trait; save mental energy
Social proof – when a lot of people are doing something it is usually the right thing to do
Authority – experts typically know more
Scarcity – scarce things are often valuable
