Social Psyc Chapter 8: Social Influence

What is compliance?

Behavior influenced by a DIRECT REQUEST.

What are the six compliance norms?

1. Reciprocity: "Do unto others"

2. Social Proof: "When in doubt, do what others do"

3. Consistency: Be "true" to yourself; ABCs should align

4. Liking: We should help those we like

5. Authority: Authority figure knows best

6. Scarcity: Scarce things = valuable

What compliance techniques are based on reciprocity?

Pre-giving: Gift with "no strings attached" → future compliance

Door-in-the-Face: Big request → smaller request (desired)

That's-Not-All: Deal "sweetened" before we can agree

What compliance techniques are based on consistency?

Foot-in-the-Door: Small initial ask → up the ante

Four Walls: Surround person with their own attitudes/past behaviors

Works because people want to remain consistent (cognitive dissonance)

How do liking, authority, and scarcity increase compliance?

• Liking: Attractiveness (halo effect), similarity, familiarity

• Authority: Expertise/uniforms (e.g., lab coat)

• Scarcity: Limited availability → greater perceived value

What is social proof, and what did Crum et al. (2016) examine?

• Norm: When in doubt, do what others do

• Examples: Laugh tracks, popularity claims

• Crum et al.: Social influence moderates response to a placebo product

• DVs: Alertness, Stroop interference, product endorsement

What is obedience? How does it differ from compliance?

Obedience: Behavior influenced by authority figure's DIRECT COMMAND/ORDER

Compliance: Request

Obedience: Command (authority as force)

What happened in Milgram's original obedience study?

• Yale "learning study"

• Participant assigned teacher; learner = confederate

• Incorrect answers → shocks increasing by 15 volts

• Learner protests/stops responding

• Experimenter commands participant to continue

What were the findings of Milgram's original study?

• 65% (26/40) continued to 450 volts

• Many experienced extreme distress but continued

• Original study = DESCRIPTIVE

• Demonstrated powerful situational influence on obedience

How did experimental variations affect obedience?

• Office building → 47%

• Learner same room → 40%

• Learner touched → 30%

• Remote experimenter → 20%

• Participant "experimenter" → 19%

• Dissenting confederates → 10%

• No commands → 1–2%

What situational factors predict obedience?

1. Socialization of obedience: Taught to listen to authority

2. Shedding responsibility: Authority is responsible

3. Gradual escalation: Small 15-volt increases → consistency/self-justification

What predicts obedience vs. disobedience?

• Resisting early facilitates eventual disobedience

• Dissenting others → less obedience

• High agreeableness + conscientiousness → more obedience

• Authoritarianism: Positive correlation

• Morality: Conventional vs. postconventional

• Gender: No consistent differences

• NOT simply sadism/psychoticism

What do cross-cultural studies suggest about obedience?

• Overall rates don't differ much between American/non-American samples

• Bierbrauer (2014): Only 2 non-Western countries (India, Jordan)

• Differences in procedures, recruitment, and perceived authority of scientists

What were the ethical and methodological criticisms of Milgram?

• Ethical: Extreme distress, deception, withdrawal concerns, delayed/inadequate debriefing

• Internal validity: Ad-libbing experimenter; suspicious participants

• External validity: Can lab findings explain real-world obedience (e.g., Holocaust)?

What did Burger (2009) change and find?

• 150-volt solution; pre-screening; withdrawal reminders

• Milder demo shock; immediate debriefing; clinical psychologist

• 70% willing to continue past 150V

• No significant gender differences

• Modeled refusal did not significantly reduce obedience

• Largely supported Milgram's findings

What is conformity?

Changing one's behavior due to the real or imagined influence of others.

What is the difference between informational and normative influence?

• Informational: Need to be RIGHT → private acceptance; ambiguous situations; Sherif (autokinetic study)

• Normative: Need to be ACCEPTED → public compliance; fear of rejection; Asch (line-judgment study)

What determines conformity according to Social Impact Theory?

• Strength: Importance of the group

• Immediacy: Closeness in space/time

• Number: Size of the group (diminishing impact of each additional person)