PSYCH 280: Social Influence

Social influence

Change in behavior due to the real or imagined presence of others, does NOT have to change attitude, often stems from normative pressure

Social norm

learned social rules

Descriptive norm

How others actually behave, ex. being quiet in a library

Injunctive norm

How one SHOULD behave, ex. laws

Tight norms

stronger norms, less tolerance for deviance

Loose norms

weaker norms, more tolerance for deviance

Dynamic norms

Static norms

Informational influence

we want to be correct, maybe others have the right answer? (Sherif study)

Normative influence

Desire to not stand out, and wanting to be accepted by others (Asch study)

Conformity

Change in behavior or beliefs to match others without request. ex. standing in an elevator and facing a different way, people will start to match this if there are more people following you

Mimicry

Often happens automatically and non-consciously

Ideomotor action

cause of mimicry; we are more likely to engage in mentally accessible behavior. ex. yawning

Social connection / liking

Mimicry increases liking, we want to foster social connection

Sherif (autokinetic) study

Dot in a dark room study; groups of people made judgements after trial one, more trials went on, individual’s answers tended to go towards the middle answer

Asch study

Line study; Independent answers, 95 percent correct, with others, 33 percent conformed to the wrong answer

What factors encourage conformity?

Group size (even for non-conformists), unanimity (even with just one dissenter, conformity decreases), cohesion, status, public response, public commitment, culture (tight culture conform more)

Compliance

yielding to a request to change behavior or belief (can privately disagree), uses 7 principles of persuasion

Negative state relief

Increase in actions that would improve mood, like helping others, when feeling negative, but NOT negative moods that are anti-social (anger)

Obedience

Change in behavior or beliefs as a result of a COMMAND from AUTHORITY

Factors that increase and decrease the rate of obedience

Emotional distance to the victim (i.e. cant hear the learner), prestige of authority, presence of resisters

Reactance

When our freedom is being threatened, we react by doing the opposite of what we are told to do

How to help reactance?

Remind people of their freedom of choice

Asserting uniqueness

People value uniqueness, especially children

Minority influence

A consistent minority belief can be persuasive, primarily effective through informational influence, leads majority members to re-examine their own beliefs