1. Social Psychology

2. Social Influence
Macuto, Anjennica P.

3. Social Influence Compliance Conformity Obedience
Also known as “Group Influence”.
Efforts by one or more individuals to change attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, or behaviors of one or more others.
Conformity
Compliance
Obedience

4. Conformity
A type of social influence in which individuals change their attitudes or behavior to adhere to existing social norms.
Changed induced by general rules concerning what behavior is appropriate or required in a given situation.

5. Social Norms
Rules indicating how individuals are expected to behave in specific situations.
Descriptive norms: norms that simply indicate what most people do in a given situation (signs, laws such as “keep off the grass,” “No swimming.”)
Injunctive norms: norms specifying what ought to be done—what is approved or disapproved behavior in a given situation (“Don’t talk to strangers,” “Don’t go home late at night.”)

6. Research on Conformity
Asch’s Research
Solomon Asch (1955) studied conformity to see if people would conform to an obviously wrong opinion.
Wrong answers given by Asch’s assistants on a line judgment task exposed participants to strong social pressure to conform (76% went along with the group’s false answers at least once).

8. Asch’s Conclusion
Group unanimity is crucial, once broken, resisting group pressure becomes much easier.
Though we may follow social norms overtly, we don’t actually change our private views.

9. Research on Conformity
Muzafer Sherif’s Phenomenon (Autokinetic Phenomenon)
The apparent movement of a single stationary source of light in a dark room.
Often used to study the emergence of norms and social influence.

11. Factors Affecting Conformity
Social
Norm
Situational Norm
Cohesiveness
Group Size
Factors that bind group members together into a coherent social entity and the extent that we want to belong to it.
The larger the group, the greater the number of people who behave in some specific way, the greater our tendency to conform.
Descriptive Norms ~ What most people do in a given situation.
Normative Norms ~ What is approved or disapproved behavior in given situation.
Guides behavior in a certain situation or environment and can be activated in an automatic manner.

12. Social Roots of Conformity Why do people choose to go along?
Principle of Ideomotor Action
Sometimes people conform mindlessly and automatically, when the very perception of someone else's behavior makes them more likely to behave that way themselves.
Informational Social Influence
The desire to be right.
People look upon the actions of others as information about what is best to do.

13. Normative Social Influence
The desire to be liked.
People conform out of concern for the social consequences of their actions.

14. Compliance
Involves going along with explicit requests made by others (not in authority).
Direct efforts to get others to change their behavior in specific ways.

15. Persuasive Psychological Manipulation Techniques
Techniques used by compliance professionals (e.g. salespeople, recruiters, marketers, media, etc.).
Can be used for manipulative purposes.

16. Six Principals for Gaining Compliance
Weapons of Influence
Reciprocation
Commitment
Social Proof
Liking
Authority
Scarcity
Reciprocation
Scarcity
Commitment
Authority
Friendship/
Liking

17. Reciprocation Tactics “The Give and Take…”
Door-in-the-Face Technique
Starts with a large request, and once refused, retreats to a smaller one (the one actually desired).
Negotiators, sellers use this technique.
That’s-not-all Technique
Requesters offer additional benefits to target persons before these persons have decided to whether to comply with or reject specific requests.
offering an extra incentive like a reduction in price, something additional for the same price, or creating the appearance of a ‘bargain.’

18. Commitment Tactics “Hobgoblins (Fears) of the Mind”
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
Gaining compliance by beginning with a small request and then, once granted, asking for something bigger (the one desired all along).
Lowball Technique
The original offer is changed to make it less attractive to target person once accepted (e.g. car salesmen).

19. Friendship/Liking Tactics “The Friendly Thief”
Ingratiation Technique
A technique for gaining compliance in which requesters first induce target persons to like them and then attempt to change the persons’ behavior in some desired manner.
Flattery, nonverbal positive cues, doing favors, calling attention to small and slightly surprising similarities between them and ourselves (incidental similarity).

20. Scarcity Tactics “The Rule of Few”
Playing-Hard-to-Get Technique
Increases compliance by suggesting that a person or object is scarce and hard to obtain.
effective in romance, and used by job candidates who let potential employer know they have other offers
Deadline Technique
Targets persons are told that they have only limited time to take advantage of some offer or obtain some item.

21. Other Persuasive Psychological Manipulation Techniques
Foot-in-the-Mouth Technique
Consists in preceding the request by a form of address. Asking how are they. It catches the person on a personal level.
“Because” Technique
People are more compliant when you give people a reason for why you want them to do something.

22. Fear-then-Relief Technique
Consists of creating stress before providing a relief as a preparatory step for a later request.
“But you are free of” Technique
Consists in clarifying after a request that the targeted person should feel free not to comply to the said request.
“Could you please throw the garbage? I mean, you’re free to refuse, if anyone forces you.” ~ The evocation of freedom provoked the compliance.

23. “A little is better than nothing” Technique
Consists in helping the target to understand that even a tiny contribution or participation is better than nothing.
Example: Hello sir! I forgot my wallet and I really need money to buy a bus ticket. Could you please help me? Even 10 pesos could help me.
Attribution Technique
Consists in giving a persona good image of his/herself, just by a simple sentence, which will lead this person to accept your request more easily.

24. Touch Technique
Touching the person for a few second will submit to your request.

25. Obedience Involves giving in to the commands of an authority.
Social Influence in which one person simply orders one or more others to do what they want.

26. Obedience Involves giving in to the commands of an authority.
Social Influence in which one person simply orders one or more others to do what they want.
Stanley Milgram’s famous experiment, “Destructive Obedience,” is to be remembered.

27. Milgram Experiment
The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures was a series of notable social psychology experiments
It measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. 

28. Factors that Affect Destructive Obedience
Persons in authority assume responsibility
Persons in authority often have visible signs of their status and power
Commands are gradual in nature, and do not start out with orders to perform extreme actions
Events move at fast pace, giving the persons involved little chance to consider their options
Strong tendency to obey

29. Individuals must remind themselves that they, not the authorities, are responsible for any hard produced
Individuals must have a clear indication that total submission to destructive commands is inappropriate
Individuals may find it easier to resist influence from authority if they question the expertise and motives of these figures
Simply knowing about the power of authority figures to command blind obedience may be helpful in itself
How to resist D.O.

30. How to resist the effects of destructive obedience?
One should be reminded of personal responsibility, exposure to disobedient models, question expertise/motives of authority figure