B

Topic 6 slides, social influence

SOCIAL INFLUENCE IN COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF HCI

Definition of Social Influence

  • Social Influence: Affected by the presence of others (real, imagined, or virtual). [Barton, 2016]

Social Influence in Cyberspace

  • Interactions with (artificial) others in games.

  • Impact of likes on social media.

  • Presence of lurkers in chat rooms.

  • Influence from recommendations and reviews in online retail.

TYPES OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Informational vs Normative Influence [Deutsch & Gerard, 1955]

  • Informational Influence: Acceptance of information because it appeals to reason.

  • Normative Influence: Acceptance of information to fit in or gain approval.

PROCESSES OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Three Main Processes

  1. Compliance: Change in behavior without change in attitude due to direct request or group influence. [Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004]

  2. Obedience: Compliance with authority figure demands. [Milgram, 1974]

  3. Conformity: Change in attitude/behavior due to peer pressure or group norms.

COMPLIANCE

Definition of Compliance

  • Compliance: External or obvious change in behavior (but not one’s actual attitude) in response to a direct request or when under the influence of a group. [Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004]

Six Principles of Compliance [Cialdini, 2001]

  1. Reciprocity: Feeling obligated to repay favors.

  2. Liking: More willing to comply with those we like.

  3. Scarcity: Compliance based on perceived limited availability.

  4. Social Proof: Following behaviors of others as correct.

  5. Commitment and Consistency: Aligning actions with previous commitments.

  6. Authority: Compliance with individuals who have moral/legal right or control.

Compliance Techniques

  • Foot in the Door: Start with a small request, then follow up with a larger request.

  • Door in the Face: Start with a large request, then present a more modest request.

OBEDIENCE

Definition of Obedience

  • Obedience: Compliance with the wishes or demands of authority figure. [Milgram, 1974]

Milgram's Electric Shock Experiment [Milgram, 1974]

  • Explored the extent of obedience to authority and the consequences of following orders.

Obedience to Authority

  • Positive outcomes (e.g., traffic rules).

  • Destructive Obedience: Harmful actions taken due to following orders.

  • Milgram’s states:

    • Autonomous state: Person directs their own behavior and takes responsibility for the results

    • Agentic State: Person allows someone else to direct their behavior and assumes that responsibility passes to that person.

  • Moral Strain and Cognitive Dissonance: Psychological discomfort when actions clash with values.

Factors Influencing Obedience

  1. Socialization: Capacity developed during childhood.

  2. Reinforcement: Schools promote obedience for order maintenance.

  3. Subordination: Constantly subordinating personal needs for societal norms.

  4. Identification: Group identity leads to prioritizing group needs.

Validation by Variation

  • Original obedience rate: 65%. Factors influencing rates:

    • Clothing: Decreased to 20% with everyday clothes.

    • Location: Dropped to 47.5% in a rundown office.

    • Responsibility: Increased to 92.5% when instructing others.

    • Social support: Decreased to 10% when others disobeyed.

Critique of Milgram’s Experiment

  • Sample biases: Only male participants, self-selection bias.

  • Ethical issues: Deception, psychological harm, and right to withdraw concerns.

Recent Confirmations of Milgram's Experiment

  • Obedience remains high in modern studies. [Burger, 2009]

  • People continue to perform tasks for a robot

  • Discomfort noted even when the learner is virtual. [Slater et al., 2006]

CONFORMITY

Definition of Conformity

  • Conformity: A change in attitude or behavior as a result of pressure either from friends (peer pressure) or from belonging to a group (group norms).

Asch’s Conformity Experiment [Asch, 1951]

  • 32% conformed to group pressure. Influencing factors include group strength, immediacy, and size.

Conformity with Nonhumans

  • Conformity can occur in perceptual, subjective evaluation, and memory tasks.

  • Similar effects seen with computer confederates and robots.

PERSUASION

Definition of Persuasion

  • Persuasion: A form of social influence that attempts to shape, reinforce, or change behavior, feelings, or thoughts about an issue, object, or action. [Fogg, 2002]

Captology: Computers as Persuasive Technologies [Fogg, 2003]

  • Software that promotes behavior change in various fields (health, safety).

7 Types of Persuasive Technology Tools [Fogg, 2003]

  1. Reduction: Simplifying tasks for better compliance.

  2. Tunneling: Guided persuasion through steps.

  3. Tailoring: Customizing messages.

  4. Suggestion: Timely interventions.

  5. Self-monitoring: Engaging users through observation.

  6. Surveillance: Behavior tracking.

  7. Conditioning: Reinforcement of behaviors.

Kaptein’s Persuasion

Personalization in Persuasion [Kaptein et al., 2015]

  • Explicit profiling: Identification of user differences for effective design in persuasive technologies. Includes explicit (self-reported) and implicit (behavioral) data.

  • Implicit profiling: Implicit profiling involves collecting data about users without requiring their direct input. This data is often gathered through user behavior, interactions, and digital footprints.

  • Persuasion profiles: An individual’s persuasion profile indicates which influence principles are most effective.

  • Key Design Requirements for Personalized Persuasion Systems [Kaptein et al., 2015]

    • Identification.

    • Representation.

    • Measurement.

    • Single inheritance.