Chap. 9 - Social Influence

What is social influence?

Describes the various ways in which people affect each other's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Hence “influencers”

What 3 key components does social influence consist of?

Conformity, compliance, and obedience!

What is the difference between conformity and compliance?

Conformity involves changing beliefs or behaviors, often due to social pressure/norms, while compliance refers to agreeing to something in response to a direct request.

What has research found on conformity?

*found that we unconsciously (automatic) mimic other people

What are the 2 reasons for explaining why we mimic other people?

• Ideomotor action - says that thinking about a behavior increases the likelihood of actually performing it

• Can help build social rapport and connections with others - smoother interactions

What is Obedience?

When a person submits to the demands or orders of an authority figure in an unequal power relationship.

What 2 concepts fall under conformity?

Normative social influence and informational social influence

Normative Social Influence is..?

conforming to be liked, or accepted by others and avoid looking foolish

Informational Social Influence is..?

conforming because we believe others are correct in their judgments or actions, especially in uncertain situations.

Unconscious mimicry, such as imitating someone’s gestures, can increase social connection because:

• It decreases empathy

• It enhances individual independence

• It signals social rapport and cooperation

• It reflects conscious manipulation

It signals social rapport and cooperation

In Asch’s line study, participants conformed primarily because they:

*Wanted to fit in and avoid disapproval

Anonymity reduces conformity because:

It eliminates the fear of social judgment and allows people to express their true opinions*

Group unanimity?

It means all members of a group share the same opinion or decision, which can influence others to conform

Interdependent cultures tend to show higher conformity rates because:

They value group harmony and fitting in, more than individualism!

What’s the door-in-the-face technique?

A compliance strategy where a large request is followed by a smaller, more reasonable request, making the smaller request more likely to be accepted.

What’s the Foot-in-the-Door technique?

A compliance technique where agreeing to a small request first makes someone more likely to agree to a larger request later.

Lowballing?

A persuasive technique where an agreement is made at a low cost, but then the cost is increased after the commitment, often leading to compliance.

How does a positive or good mood affect compliance?

It increases compliance because people want to maintain their good moods and view requests as less intrusive.

True or False - Milgram’s study found that only a small minority of participants obeyed authority figures to the end.

False - Milgram's study found that a significant number of participants were willing to obey authority figures, continuing to administer shocks up to the maximum level.