Social Influence Flashcards
Conformity
when you change your behavior in response to real or imagined pressure even if no one makes a direct request.
Changing one’s behavior or beliefs in response to real or imagined pressure from others.
People around you doing something and you are not sure what the appropriate thing to do is but they seem certain it is this so you CONFORM to the group
Compliance
when you respond favorably to an explicit request.
Respond favorably to an explicit request by another person
You respond to a specific request because of factors that you feel you need to comply
Obedience
when you adhere to the demands of a more powerful person.
Obey the commands of an authority figure
Authority figure commands you to do something so you obey
Informational Conformity
Sometimes we go along with the group because what they say convinces us that they are right
Normative Conformity
Sometimes we conform because we are apprehensive that the group will disapprove if we are deviant
Autokinetic effect
Apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the dark. Basic perceptions are shaped by frames of reference. Might other people serve as a social frame of reference?
First noted by astronomers, the sense that a stationary point of light in a completely dark area is moving – Sherit’s conformity experiment)
Reciprocation
Repay in kind
Web of indebtedness
At airports you give flowers to strangers and they feel like they have to donate even though they did not want the flower.
door in the face
You ask someone something big and they say no and then when you ask them something small they feel like they need to say yes because they said no to the other thing and they feel like they owe you
Boy Scouts asks to buy tickets to the Circus so they say no and then sells his Chocolate and they say yes
What is Social Proof ?
Decide what is correct by looking at what others are doing
Laugh track
People watch and there are laugh tracks and they don’t like them but they are influenced by those tracks to laugh
Commitment and Consistency
Once you place the bet you are likely to think things that support that action.
Endowment effect
Once you have it, increase in value
What does scarcity do?
the tendency to place a higher value on things that are perceived as rare while devaluing things that are seen as common or abundant.
Ex. Limited availability makes something more attractive. Only a few left. Only one of its kind – More attractive
10 cookies vs 2 cookies. See 10 then 2. People rated the cookies better even though they were the same coming from a jar of 2 than a jar of 10
How will Similarity help someone?
if someone is trying to influence you and they seem similar to you, you are more likely to like them and trust them making them more likely to influence you
Ex. Prospective buyer comes and the salesman notices golf clubs in the back of his trunk. They go through cars and prices and stuff and then he starts talking about golf and he builds a connection. The customer trusts him more when it comes to prices and trusts that he is giving him a good deal
How does attractiveness help people make a decision?
Canadian voting
2.5X more likely to vote the more attractive candidate Efran & Patterson 1976
Closing time effect
DON’T ALL THE GIRLS GET PRETTIER AT CLOSING TIME BAKER KNIGHT, MICKEY GILLEY
Old Country and Western song
Did a study to confirm this hypothesis
Were the ratings of the women higher at closing time?
Men in relationships did not see them prettier at closing time
Could it be alcohol?
Why do people conform?
don’t have to consider every action
Reduces interpersonal conflict
Lots of normative behavior in every day life that makes life smoother and more pleasant
People suppress their anger, stand on line, sit quietly during the movie
Homophily
the tendency for people to associate disproportionality with people who are like them
What is social influence?
The many ways people affect one another, including changes in beliefs, feelings, and behaviour resulting from the comments, actions or even the mere presence of others
Automatic mimicry
We are all non-conscious copycats
William James provide the first explanation arguing that thinking about a behaviour makes performing it more likely. The concept is based on the fact that the brain regions responsible for perception overlap with those responsible for action
We reflexively mimic to facilitate smooth, gratifying interaction and in doing so fosters social connection. People tend to like people who mimic them more than people who don’t. People tend to engage in more prosocial behavior
Social frame of reference
Even though a basketball player at 5’ 11 may be perceived as taller than average on the day to day, in photos with his taller teammates he would be perceived as short
Informative social influence
the influence of other people that results from taking their comments or actions as a source of information about what is correct, proper, or effective
When grouped together, people’s Ideas tend to converge
Normative social influence
Normative social influence: the influence or other people that comes from the desire to avoid their disapproval and other social sanctions (ridicule, barbs, ostracism)
Factors affecting conformity pressure
Group size
Group unanimity
Anonymity
Expertise and Status
Culture
Tight and Loose Cultures
How does group size affect conformity pressure?
Group size
People are more likely to conform to a bigger group size
This affect levels off quite quickly though
This is the same for normative social influence
How does group unanimity affect conformity pressure?
Group unanimity
The presence of an ally weakens both informational social influence (maybe I’m night atter all) and normative social influence (at least I’ve got someone to stand by me)
What matters in the break in unanimity
How does anonymity affect conformity pressure?
Anonymity
Eliminates social influence and should therefore reduce conformity
Internalization: private acceptance of a proposition, orientation, or ideology
How does expertise and status affect conformity pressure?
Expertise and Status
More likely to trust someone with more expertise because they are more likely right
High-status people can do more to hurt our social standings than lower-status individuals
How does culture affect conformity pressure?
Culture
People from interdependent cultures might be expected to conform more often than those from independent cultures (western countries)
Tight and Loose Cultures
Tight – strong norms regarding how people should behave, don’t readily tolerate departure from those norms
Tight nations are more likely to have autocratic or dictatorial government
Punish dissent
Have sharp controls on what is to be said (in the media)
More laws, higher monitoring to ensure they are obeyed
Inflicts more punishment for disobedience
Loose – norms aren’t as strong and their members tolerate more deviance
If tight on one aspect, tended to be tight on all and vice versa with loose
Why?
Appears that behavioural constraints are associated with, and perhaps partially case due by, ecological constraints
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
a compliance approach that involves making an initial small request with which nearly everyone complies followed by a larger request involving the real behavior of interest
Door-In-The-Face Technique
By first asking for a very large favor that will most certainly be refused, you then follow up with a more modest favor that you are really interested in receiving
The drop in size will be seen as a concession and the person will be compelled to match this to honor the norm of reciprocity
Norm-Based Compliance
The tendency to act as those around us can be harnessed to achieve compliance
Static and dynamic norms
People are influenced not only by the numbers but by trends as well and how the norm is changing
Descriptive and Prescriptive norms
Descriptive norms: the behaviour exhibited by most people in a given context
Prescriptive norms: the way a person in supposed to behave in a given context; also called injunctive norm
Norms of reciprocity
a norm dictating that people should provide benefits to those who benefit them
