Week 10 - Social influence Flashcards
(29 cards)
Social Influence
Ways that people affect one another through changing attitudes, beliefs, feelings, or behaviors resulting from the real or imagined presence of others
Social Influence
Conformity (Do as others d0): Changing behavior in response to real or imagined pressure from others.
Compliance (Do as others want): Changing behavior by responding favorably to an explicit request.
Obedience (Do as others command): Responding to an explicit request from someone who has power over you.
Conformity: Do as others Do
Unconscious (automatic) conformity
- Automatic behavioral mimicry
Conscious (deliberate) conformity
- Informational social influence
- Normative social influence
Conscious (Intentional) Conformity
Informational Social Influence: Using others’ actions or comments as a source of valid information about what is correct, proper or effective.
Normative Social Influence: Using others’ actions or comments as guides for how to fit in and avoid disapproval or social sanctions (e.g., ridicule, ostracism)
Informational Social Influence: Why?
Accuracy Motive: We want to be right!
Informational social influence is likely to occur when:
The situation is difficult or ambiguous
In other words, when we feel low in knowledge or competence about a task or topic, so we need help - i.e. Clapping when you see others clap
Normative Social Influence
Conformity based on the desire to be liked or socially accepted when the situation is clear/ unambiguous but one’s own beliefs conflict with group beliefs.
Informational or Normative?
Informational and normative influence almost always happen together
You are unsure about what is appropriate, and you want to fit in!
However, sometimes one is more important than the other.
Informational influence leads to internalization (private acceptance) of the majority opinion/behavior, and actual change in your attitudes and beliefs.
Normative influence leads to temporary public compliance with the majority opinion/behavior, without any change in your attitudes and beliefs.
Factors That Influence Conformity
Group size Unanimity Anonymity Expertise/status Culture Minority influence
Group Size
Larger groups have more informational and normative social influence
After a certain point, conformity rates level off - If you are in a huge lecture, you don’t feel the need to conform as much cause you are just a face in a sea of people
Unanimity
If there is a break in unanimity, even if it is not in line with the person’s private belief, it is enough to reduce conformity
If there are other dissenters, it becomes easier to dissent, even if you are dissenting in different ways
Anonymity
When people cannot find out what your opinions are, conformity is reduced
Expertise & Status
People tend to conform to the opinions of expert or high status people
Groupthink
GROUPTHINK: A (faulty) style of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner.
The presence of high status individual(s) and lack of anonymity in providing answers or expressing opinions can lead to groupthink!
Culture
Culture: Interdependent (collectivist) groups tend to conform more (focus on social relationships)
Tight vs. Loose Cultures: Cultures with strong norms/rules for behavior (tight) elicit more conformity than those with weaker norms/rules (loose)
E.g., Tight cultures: China, Japan, South Korea, Britain, Turkey
E.g., Loose cultures: Greece, Israel, Netherlands, Brazil, Ukraine
Gender
Females are more likely to conform than men
But this difference is somewhat small…depends on the domain!
- In stereotypically “male domains” (e.g., geography, hunting), females tend to conform more than males
- In stereotypically “female domains” (e.g., childrearing, cosmetics), males tend to conform more than females
Minority influence
Minority Influence: There are cases in which the minority can cause a change in the majority opinion
The key to effective minority influence is consistency
The minority must express the same view over time
Different members of the minority must agree
Minorities must rely on informational influence
Doing the right thing vs. Fitting in with majority
Compliance: Do as others Want
Compliance occurs when we are influenced via a direct attempt by someone without authority/power over us.
Compliance: Do as others Want
Three main types
- Reason-Based
- Emotion-Based
- Norm-Based
Compliance: Reason-Based
Norm of Reciprocity
- A norm dictating that people should provide benefits to those who benefit(ted) them
“Foot-In-The-Door” - Small then Big
- Make a small, initial request that virtually everyone would agree to, and then follow it up with a larger request for what you really want
- Committing to the first act causes a change in your self-schema via self-perception
“Door-In-The-Face” - Big then Small
- Requesting a very large favor that you know the target will decline, and then following it up with a more modest request for what you really want
Compliance: Emotion-Based (Positive Mood)
Positive Mood increases compliance
Overtime positive mood decreases -> compliance rate decreases
Positive Mood & Compliance: Why?
- Construal: If you’re happy and you feel good, you assume other people’s intentions are good
- Positive Mood Maintenance: Saying no to a request is awkward and creates negative affect. So to continue feeling good, you comply
Compliance: Emotion-Based (Negative Mood)
Negative Mood, specifically guilt, increases compliance
The negative state relief hypothesis: Negative moods (e.g., guilt) increase compliance because doing something for someone else helps to make you feel better.
Compliance: Norm-Based
Descriptive Norms
Objective, factual description of what most people do
Prescriptive Norms
What most people should do according to some rule or tradition
By providing information about how other people typically behave, you can elicit conformity
- Descriptive norms usually work via informational influence
- Prescriptive norms usually work via normative influence
- The stronger the norm info (more specific), the more compliance
Descriptive norms
When trying to change norms, people often highlight how common it is for people to do the wrong thing…but this encourages people to continue doing the wrong thing!!
People are very responsive to descriptive norms
- In trying to promote positive behavior, descriptive norms are more beneficial
- However, in trying to reduce negative behavior, descriptive norms may backfire
