Influence

no power

Influence (definition)

Change in thoughts, feelings, or behavior caused by other people.

Three types of influence

Conformity, compliance, obedience.

Conformity (definition)

Change in behavior to go along with a group even if you don’t agree; following social norms.

Asch studies: key finding

People conformed and said lines were the same length when they clearly were not.

Asch studies: why people conformed

Assumed the group had more information or felt pressure to go along.

Asch studies: conformity rate

Went along with the wrong answer 37% of the time.

Conformity factor 1:

Group majority size: Larger majorities increase conformity.

Conformity factor 2:

Public responding increases conformity.

Conformity remedy 1:

dissenter: Presence of a dissenter reduces conformity.

Conformity remedy 2:

private responses: Allow private responses to reduce conformity.

Conformity remedy 3:

more voice opportunities: Give multiple opportunities for people to voice opinions.

Compliance (definition)

Change in behavior in response to a request or demand from another person.

Compliance vs conformity

Compliance is explicit and request-specific; conformity is about going along with “others” more broadly.

Milgram studies: key finding

People often comply with requests even against their judgment; many didn’t stop when told to continue.

Milgram: max voltage stat

65% were willing to administer maximum voltage.

Compliance factor 1

Perceived legitimacy increases compliance.

Compliance factor 2

Desire for approval or belonging increases compliance.

Compliance remedy 1:

information gathering: Encourage gathering information before acting.

Compliance remedy 2:

allow questions: Let people ask questions to reduce blind compliance.

Obedience (definition)

Change in behavior due to a direct command from another person.

Obedience vs compliance

More direct than compliance; authority figure required; fear of punishment is high.

Stanford Prison Experiment: key finding

People obey and give into the power of the situation; roles took over even when randomly assigned.

SPE: guard and prisoner behavior

Guards became abusive; prisoners became submissive.

Obedience factor 1:

Proximity to authority": Closer authority figure increases obedience.

Obedience factor 2:

Fear of consequences increases obedience.

Obedience remedy 1:

Have an ethical code.

Obedience remedy 2:

Engage in moral reasoning.

Behavior prediction reminder

Behavior depends on psychological features AND the social situation.

Situational strength (definition)

The stronger the situation, the less individual differences/attitudes matter for predicting behavior.

Strong vs weak situation examples

Strong: red traffic light. Weak: yellow traffic light.

Good Samaritan study (setup)

Seminary students give a talk; time pressure manipulated; encounter someone appearing to need help.

Good Samaritan study: main driver

Helping depended primarily on time pressure.

Good Samaritan: help rate when early

63% helped when early.

Good Samaritan: help rate when late

10% helped when late.

Good Samaritan: what didn’t matter

Topic (parable vs neutral) and religious motivations made little to no difference.

Situational dimensions (4)

Clarity, consistency, constraints, consequences.

Situational dimension: clarity

How available and easy-to-understand are cues?

Situational dimension: consistency

How compatible are cues with each other?

Situational dimension: constraints

How limited is behavior by outside forces?

Situational dimension: consequences

What are the implications for behavior?

Power & Influence II key takeaway #1

Be mindful of blind conformity, compliance, and obedience.

Power & Influence II key takeaway #2

Strong situations often outweigh individual differences and reduce variance in behavior.