Social Influence Flashcards
Social Influence
Effects of those around us have on thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The way we interact has influence on what we remember
Compliance
Particular kind of response to a particular kind of communication. In all cases, the target recognizes they’re being urged to respond in a desired way.
-Target uses feelings as cues for effective responding
public compliance: avoid shame and fear
private compliance: avoid guilt and pity
6 principles of compliance
- Reciprocity: tendency to repay debt
- Commitment and consistency
- Social Proof
- Liking
- Authority
- Scarcity
Forgas and Affect infusion model (AIM)
Target mood permeates the processing of a request. Mood effects are mediated by the target’s and requester’s level of information processing
Dolinski and Nawrat Fear-then-relief procedure
–no anxiety condition, anxiety, anxiety-then-relief.
more likely to comply in anxiety-then-relief.
participants appeared to behave in a more mindless manner
Disrupt then reframe techniques - define and examples
Disrupt an individuals understanding and resistance to influence attempt and reframe message
-That’s not all: Present target with an initial request followed by a sweetening of a deal before the recipient has the opportunity to respond.
can backfire if the request is too costly or demanding
Authority and obedience
Individuals awarded for behaving in accordance with opinions, advice, and directives of authority figures
Soft Tactics
Strategies employing expert power in class
-using credibility, positive job satisfaction
Hard Tactics
Utilizing hierarchy-based power in class
-social structure
Stanley Milgram
Shock experiment that examined obedience to authority
used active role-playing in position of the would-be participant and demonstrate how we believe genuine part would act
Social Norms
Use to effectively respond especially in times of uncertainty. Relevant norms only direct behaviour when in focus.
Goal of affiliation/liking
Humans are motivated to create and maintain meaningful relationships with others, Engage in behaviours that others approve of so they may approve of us too.
Heuristics and liking
A mental shortcut to solve problems quickly that delivers results efficiently. the more we like someone, the greater our willingness is to comply. However, we respond to strangers in a similar way especially under a heavy cognitive load.
-Associate monologues with strangers
-Associate dialogues with close relationships
Reciprocation
Repay others for what we received from them to build trust
Door-in-the-face technique
Precede request (4 volunteer hours) for desired action by preceding request with extreme one likely to be rejected. Target’s obligation to reciprocate an agent’s concession, Any retreat perceived as genuine will activate a mechanism for concession in return.
-Perceptual contrast. if a favour feels as if it has been done, more willing to comply. Providing unsolicited favours. Good cop/bad cop. scare tactics
-less successful over an extended period of time
-People with cleared self-concepts more likely to succumb
Goal of maintaining a positive self-concept
Comes from a strong need to enhance self-concepts behaving consistently with actions, statements, commitments, beliefs, self-ascribed traits
Foot-in-the-door technique
Takes advantage of the individuals desire for consistency. Asks target to comply with a small request which is minimally invasive to assure a positive response. Requester follows with a larger and related request
Reid Technique - Reciprocity
Goal to get suspects to confess to the crime police believe they have committed
1. Confront with crime
2. Help justify, rationalize or excuse crime
3. Interrupt denials of guilt
4. Overcome objections to charges
5. Reduce psychological distance between interrogator and suspects
6. Provide sympathy and understanding
7. Provide face-saving explanations
8. Once suspect accepts responsibility, develop into a confession
9. Get suspect to write out and sign confession
Willard - False confessions
Asked participants how willing they were to take blame for transgression caused either by casual friend or close friend. Participant could set the record straight or take the blame.
1. Driving transgression
2. Shoplifting transgression
More likely if participant was a close friend or a casual friend.
-Measured empathy they felt
-Belief other would reciprocate
acted as a reliable mediator of relationship
consequences of reciprocity
Positive: Feel sense of responsibility, more satisfied due to higher impact of outcome. Increasing likelihood of complying in future
Negative: Unequal exchanges
How can you avoid reciprocity?
Accept initial favours but be aware of motives
Four walls Strategy
Desire for consistency
Question strategy, get person to box self into a place that feels like interogee can’t say no
Written commitments
More likely to do and think what had been previously been written down
Confidence-accuracy relationship
An eyewitness confidence one of the most important things court can use as a predictor as likelihood of accuracy
Confidence-accuracy study
Participants watch mock crime and asked to describe that event between 1-5 times. Each time, asked how confident they were in their description.
1. confidence: small increase in level of confidence
2. accuracy: accuracy of statement did not change over course of interviews
problem as during a trial, this pattern occurs over a long period
Consequences of Consistency
-Decisions grow legs: Build reasons to make decision.
Cognitive dissonance: do something that is inconsistent with our beliefs, shift to be in line with our actions
Social proof
We look to others to understand how to behave
-Use of precedents; lawyers build cases on the basis of an existing case
Eisen Williams
Confederates watch mock crime of car-jacking
-During retrieval, one confederate was 1st and other was last. 3 in middle that were actual participants
-Confederates relayed incorrect information
-Memory test a week later: 1/4 of people gave plausible misinformation. Lower if information was implausible, even 5 minutes later
Consequences of social proof
-Pluralistic ignorance: Each member privately remembers doing something and may privately reject the norm but appears that everyone supports
False social proof
People just like us are shown supporting something but may have ulterior motives
-Politicians can promote the company to get money. conflict of interest
