Social Influence Flashcards
Define social influence
The process in which behaviours and attitudes are influenced by the real or implied prescence of others
Types of social influence
- Compliance
- Conformity
- Obedience
Compliance
Changing behaviour in response to a request
* Used to reach goals or attain social or personal gains
* Is only a temporary and overt change
Factors that influence compliance?
- Group strength - Social pressure, want to be a part of the group
- Group size - Increased people present = increased compliance
- Immediacy - Being in the immediate prescence of a group
- Similarity - Sharing something in common with the person making request
Foot-in-the-door technique
(compliance)
Small request (accepted) followed by the ‘real’ and larger request
Freedman and Fraser (1966)
foot-in-the-door technique
Small request: Sign a petition
Large request: Install a large and distracting sign in front lawn (says “Drive Carefully.”
* Sign petition and then install sign (experimental): 55% compliance
* Just install sign (control): 20% comliance
Foot-in-the-door technique issues
- The time between the two requests is crucial and can influence results
- The sex of the experimenter has an influence
Door-in-the-face technique
Huge request (rejected) followed by a smaller ‘real’ request
Cialdini et al. (1975)
(Door-in-the-face technique)
- Students asked to perform as unpaid counsellors for juvenile delinquents for 2 years
- Then asked to chaperone a 2 hour zoo trip instead
Results: 16.7% agreed without huge request first, 50% with request
Low-balling
Get someone to commit to a request and then increase the ‘cost’ of the request
Cialdini et al. (1978)
(Low-balling)
- Ask students to participate in an experiment
- After agreeing, reveal that it was taking place at 7am
Results: Told its at 7am before agreeing (24% compliance), only reveal after (56%) - When offered the chance to drop out, 95% of the 56% still turned up as promised
Joule (1987)
low-ball vs foot-in-the-door
Students were requested to stop smoking for 18 hours for 30 French francs
* Lowball: Originally offered 50 francs
* FITD: First asked to fill in questionnaire and then asked real request
Low-ball more effective as students were already committed whereas was an extra request for FITD
Norm of reciprocity
‘Doing a favour’ for a person before asking them to do something for you
Relies on social norm that people will treat others as they are treated
Regan (1971)
(Norm of reciprocity)
Raffle tickets study:
* Confederate gave participants free soft drinks
* Asked participants to buy their raffle tickets
* More likely to buy ticket if they were given the drink first
If someone gives you something, you feel like you owe them
What is power?
In terms of compliance
The perceived power exhibited by the source of influence.
The capacity to influence other whilst resisting their attempts to influence
5 types of power
(French and Raven, 1959)
- Reward power - ability to reward
- Coercive power - ability to punish
- Expert power - Knowledge and information
- Legitimate power - Position of authority
- Referent power - being liked by others (charisma, trust)
What is Conformity?
Changing attitudes or behaviours in order to fit in with the group majority
Characteristics of people who conform more
- Low self-esteem
- High anxiety
- Low IQ
- Authoritarian personality
- High need for social support or approval
- Inferiority complex
- Insecurity within the group
- Low group status
Situational factors of conformity
- Culture - individualistic or collectivistic
- Group size
- Group unanimity
Asch (1951)
(conformity)
Line experiment
* Extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform
* Lab experiment, line judgment task, naive participant in a room with seven confederates
* Results: Experimental Group: 75% conformed at least once, around 50% conformed in 6 or more trials, 25% never conformed
* Control Group: 99% chose the correct line
Normative influence
People conform because they want to fit in and be accepted within the group
* Beliefs don’t change
Informational influence
People believe that others are better informed and know better
Why did people conform?
(Asch)
- Demand characteristics
- Doubt own judgement - e.g. eyesight
- Majority size and unanimity
- Fear of ridicule
- Fear of standing out
- Task difficulty
What is obedience?
Form of social influence where an individual will act in response to an order from an individual (usually an authority figure)
* Hierarchy of power and status
