Social Influences Flashcards
Define social influence
A change in behaviour caused by real or imagined pressure from others
Distinct from persuasion, which involves changing attitudes or beliefs.
What is the difference between social influence and persuasion?
Social influence leads to behaviour change, while persuasion involves changing attitudes/beliefs without necessarily changing behaviour
A change in attitudes/beliefs does not guarantee a change in behaviour.
Define conformity
Behaviour change to match the actions of others
Influenced by person factors and situation factors.
What factors influence conformity?
- Person factors (Personality traits, Self Esteem, Need for approval, Past experiences / cultural background)
- Situation factors (Group size, Status and authority, Task difficulty, Public VS private responses)
Define compliance
Behaviour change that occurs as a result of a direct request
Techniques include foot-in-the-door, door-in-the-face, and labelling.
What is the foot-in-the-door technique?
First make a small request and then advance to a larger request
What is the door-in-the-face technique?
Start with a large request that you know will be denied, and then make a smaller request
Define obedience
Behaviour change in response to direct instruction from an authority figure
Example: Milgram’s Shock Experiment.
What were the findings of Milgram’s Shock Experiment?
65% of participants went all the way to the end
Due to research authority, incremental behaviours, and the prestige of Yale.
Describe Asch’s research on group influence.
When unsure, individuals tend to look to others for information, demonstrated in the line task where participants conformed to incorrect answers.
What factors influence conformity according to Asch’s research?
- Group consensus
- Public / private response
What were the results of Milgram’s research when the experimenter was a participant?
Only 20% obeyed when the experimenter was a participant
Obedience dropped to 48% in a non-Yale setting.
Identify the six principles of social influence.
- Reciprocation
- Commitment/consistency
- Authority
- Social validation
- Scarcity
- Liking/friendship
What is the principle of reciprocation?
People feel obligated to reciprocate and return favours
Explain the commitment/consistency principle.
People like to be consistent with an existing commitment they have made
What does the authority principle entail?
The tendency to follow an authority is automatic, especially credible knowledgeable experts
Define the social validation principle.
People respond to evidence that many others have complied, especially similar others
What does the scarcity principle refer to?
People are more rapidly influenced by things they perceive as scarce or rare
What is the liking/friendship principle?
People prefer to say ‘yes’ to those they know and like
This helps maintain social ties.
What are the three motivations for why people yield to influence?
- Be correct (yielding to be right)
- Gain social approval (yielding to be liked)
- Manage self-image (yielding to be consistent)
What does ‘yielding to be correct’ mean?
We all want to be correct
What does ‘yielding to be liked’ refer to?
The fundamental need to belong and avoid social disapproval/rejection
Explain ‘yielding to be consistent’.
People desire to be consistent with their existing behaviours, promises, and self-images
What are the two principles we use to help us be right?
- Authority
- Social validation
