SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Social Influence

Introduction to Social Influence

  • Ongoing discussion on social influence, culture, and marketing.

  • Last class focused on how culture reinforces ideas about appropriate consumption.

Concept of Social Norms

  • Definition of Social Norms: Implicit or explicit rules a group has for acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members.

  • Social norms dictate how individuals should act, think, or feel in various situations.
      - Importance of appropriateness is emphasized.

  • Social norms vary by group affiliation:
      - Examples of Groups Influencing Norms:
        - Americans vs. Europeans vs. South Americans.
        - Students at different universities like PIOs, Marquette Warriors vs. Badgers.
        - Different groups within social settings influence norms.

  • **Types of Rules: **
      - Explicit Rules:
        - Clearly defined and communicated (e.g., laws).
        - Example: Speed limits; violating it is breaking a law.
      - Implicit Rules:
        - Unwritten and understood behaviors (e.g., social courtesies).
        - Example: Holding doors open for others in a Midwestern context as a social norm.

Presentation on Social Norms by Dr. Taggart

  • Social norms establish standards for what is typical or desirable in a given group.

  • Research indicates that people's behavior aligns with their understanding of norms.

  • Issue of Norm Misunderstanding:
      - Often individuals have inaccurate perceptions of these norms.
      - Example: Workplace attitudes towards sexual harassment can remain unexpressed, appearing acceptable.

  • Efforts to alter personal attitudes often lean towards educational programs, like diversity training, but can be ineffective due to deeply rooted beliefs.

  • People tend to conform to perceived norms rather than act according to personal beliefs.

Norm Change Intervention

  • Programs may attempt to change perceptions of norms rather than personal attitudes.

  • Example: Addressing binge drinking among students by revealing that peers may not support it as expected.

  • This approach could align with the Expectancy-Value Theory, which predicts behaviors based on anticipated outcomes and values, complemented by the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Forms of Social Influence

  1. Normative Social Influence:
       - Based on social norms learned from culture.
       - Involves pressure to conform to expectations of others.
       - Example: Peer pressure in fashion—individuals may adjust their style based on group norms.
       - Motivated by the desire to fit in and avoid social punishment for deviating.
       - ASH's Line Study:
         - A classic experiment demonstrating normative social influence.
         - Study design involved answering questions about line lengths in a group where all but one participant were actors giving incorrect answers.
         - Results show strong tendency for conformity even when responses were wrong—demonstrating the power of the group dynamic on individual decision-making.
         - Conformity persists even under pressure to give correct answers.
       - Public Compliance:
         - Conforming to others' behaviors in public without necessarily believing in the correctness.
         - Examples of public compliance related to fashion trends, social media consumption, and peer behaviors.
       - Sources of Normative Social Influence:
         - General sources: Marketers and advertisements promoting fitting in.
         - Special influences: Role models or influencers in media.
         - Groups: Associative, aspirational, and dissociative groups affecting consumption.

  2. Informational Social Influence:
       - Motivated by the desire to gain knowledge and be correct.
       - Occurs when individuals seek guidance in ambiguity.
       - Example:
         - Choosing a laptop by consulting knowledgeable sources.
         - Seeking a realtor before buying a house due to lack of expertise.
       - Autokinetic Effect Study (1936):
         - Illuminated how ambiguity in a situation influences reliance on peer judgment.
         - Participants provided their estimates of perceived movement of a stationary light.
         - Results indicated that participants' estimates converged when working in groups, demonstrating informational social influence at play.
       - Private Acceptance:
         - Internally adopting the beliefs of others based on genuine belief of their correctness.
         - Example: Reading product reviews and genuinely believing in the quality of a product based on peer consensus.

Mass Psychogenic Illness

  • Phenomenon where symptoms of illness spread socially among a visible group.

  • Example: A teacher feeling ill leads to mass reports of illness after observation among students and staff, despite no physical cause.

Social Contagion

  • The rapid spread of ideas, attitudes, and behaviors through social influence.

  • Demonstrated in research where a confederate would look up, prompting others in the vicinity to do the same out of curiosity.

Conformity vs. Acceptance in Consumer Behavior

  • Public Compliance: Driven by normative social influence, leads to outward conformity without internal belief.

  • Private Acceptance: Driven by informational social influence, individuals change their mindset based on perceived correctness of others.

  • Fitness Tracker Example:
      - Public compliance if the motivation is social to show usage versus private acceptance based on health benefits and peer influences.

Conclusion and Course Work

  • Upcoming assignments and quizzes over course material emphasized.

  • Review previous quizzes for a better grasp of study material as the final quiz will be cumulative.

  • Encourage group project collaboration and open communication for any queries.