Social Influence Flashcards
Conformity
social influence in which we change our behaviours to be consistent with social norms
Social Impact theory
Conformity depends on the strength, immediacy, and number of ‘in-group’ members
What Major Demographic variable affects conformity?
Age- conformity decreases as we get older
What where to results of the Solomon Asch experiments?
Majority of people agreed with the majority even if it discernibly wrong
Informational conformity
Conformity that occurs because of the desire to be correct
Normative confromity
Conformity that occurs because of the desire to be liked and accepted
What factors affect conformity?
Characteristics of the group, age, peers versus parents, gender, culture
What type of cultures tend to have higher conformity?
Collectivist Cultures
What type of cultures tend to have lower conformity?
Individualistic Cultures
What factors can influence the resistance of conformity?
presence of a dissenter, motivation for societal change, minority influence
Minority Influence
a small number of people can change a group’s attitudes or behaviours
Compliance
getting someone to do what you want via direct request
What are Cianaldi’s Six principles of Influence?
Reciprocity, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Scarcity, Authority
Obedience
Compliance with the Orders of an authority Figure
What were the results of the Milgram Obedience Study?
66% of the people went all the way to the top of the shock bored because of their obedience to an authoritative figure
What factor does our obedience depend on?
Perceived level of authority
Cognitive Dissonance
mental stress (discomfort) experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, when performing an action that contradicts those beliefs, ideas, and values
What are the Elements of Persuasion?
Source, The Message, Mode of Delivery, The Audience
Chameleon Effect
Unconscious tendency to mimic the behaviour of one’s interaction partner
Social Norms
“Rules” that govern behaviour
Descriptive Norms
are behaviors which are perceived as being approved of by other people
Injunctive Norms
perceptions of what behaviours are or are not acceptable
Why are norms so powerful?
We all want to be accepted
Pluralistic Ignorance
a situation in which a majority of group members privately reject a norm, but incorrectly assume that most others accept it, and therefore go along with it
