Social Proof Flashcards
The goal of accuracy
We are all motivated to be accurate
Social proof is one source of information we can use to try to be accurate
Informational vs. normative social influence
Distinction
Informational social influence leads to private acceptance as well as public conformity
Conditions that enhance social proof
Ambiguity (unsureness) (unfamiliarity)
Similar others
When we need to act fast (crisis situations)
Use of social proof by marketers
Testimonials
Similar others in advertising
How do we know that people use social proof to be accurate?
Social contagion and false memories
• Participants recalled scenes in front of confederate
• Confederate falsely recalled some items
• Participants warned about possibility for social influence
Results?
Conformity prime experiment
Epley & Gilovich, 1999
Participants took part in a study on “psycholinguistics”
Scrambled sentence task - Contained words related to conformity or neutral words
Asked participants “how interesting was this experiment?” in the presence of 3 confederates who expressed very positive views
Results?
Some consequences of social proof
Werther effect “Suicide”
Mass psychogenic illness
Copycat crimes
Werther effect
(based on a book where the main character commits suicide)
When a suicide is published, there is an increase in suicides
Can spread through a school, community, etc.
Often committed in a similar way
The more similar the person in the publicized suicide is to the people exposed to the information about it, the more likely the age group or demographic is to commit suicide
Mass psychogenic illness
“Toxic bus” case
Canned laughter is used because…
It provides the audience with social proof
Social proof
We view a behavior as correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others preforming it.
The greater a number of people who find any idea correct the more given individuals will perceived the idea to be correct
Ways the people use social proof
Salt a tip jar at the beginning of shift
Salt collection baskets
Advertisers saying “fastest growing” or “largest selling”
Listing contributors to charities
Extinguishing phobias, Bandura, boy watching another boy playing with a dog
Helping preschool withdrawn behavior through a video of others.
End of the world cults
Use normal people in adds
Testimonials
In absence of physical proof people will turn to
Social proof
Pluralistic ignorance
When everyone is looking to see what everyone else is doing.
Bystanders failing to react – when several potential helpers are present then the personal responsibility of each is reduced.
Greatest among strangers
Staged emergency study
Either few bystanders or many saw
- An epileptic seizure
- Smoke coming from under a door
Three reasons why Pluralistic ignorance (the bystander effect) works better on city dwellers
- Cities are more clamorous, distracting, rapidly changing places where it is difficult to be certain of the nature of events and encounters.
- Urban environments are more populous; consequently people are more likely to be with others when witnessing potential emergencies
- City dwellers know much smaller percentage of fellow residences therefore city dwellers are more likely to find themselves in a group of strangers.
Defence of Pluralistic ignorance (the bystander effect)
Single someone out,
make it clear that it is an emergency,
reduce the uncertainties of those around you by being precise about you need,
Defence Against Social Proof
Sensitive to situations when social proof is likely to be automatic and inaccurate.
Beware of “consumers from mars”
Why did the doomsday cult push for new members only after their prediction failed?
They felt in the absence of physical proof that social proof was needed.
What two factors maximize the influence of social proof?
Ambiguity (unsureness) (unfamiliarity)
Similar others
Possible third:
When we need to act fast (crisis situations)
How did those two factors come in to play in Jonestown?
Movie the group to Guyana south America in a jungle in a hostel place. This increased the ambiguity of everyday life and made the only similar others each other.
How would you advise heart patients to get public help in an emergency?
Single someone out,
make it clear that it is an emergency by using words like help, emergency, 911,
reduce the uncertainties of those around you by being precise about you need, “I have a heart condition and you need to call 911 and stay with me until they get here.”
How would you create an add to reduce teen suicide instead of increase it? Who would you interview on camera? Would they be troubled teens? What would you ask them?
Don’t show a suicide or the aftermath. Don’t make it sound common. Make the add about getting help for feeling suicidal feeling and not about suicide. Interview people who choose not to commit suicide, and got help. They should be similar to the target demographic. I would ask them questions that were relatable, I would also ask if they condone suicide.
Do people conform to social proof information automatically?
Often but not always
Copycat crimes
Product tampering
School shootings
