Transcript Factors of Persuasion

Social Influence
Persuasion
Group Influences
Altruism and Helping
Behavior
Becoming and
Assertive Person
What is Social Influence?
• The area of social
psychology that studies the
ways in which people
influence the thoughts,
feelings, and behavior of
other behavior.
PERSUASION
Factors of Persuasion
Factors involving in getting your
message across.
Factors of Persuasion
• Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM):
The view that persuasion occurs
through two routes, a central route
involving careful evaluation
(elaboration) of the content of a
persuasive message, and a peripheral
route involving attention to associated
cues that are peripheral to the content
of the message.
Persuasion: The Message
• Repeated Exposure: Repeated exposure to people
and things (such as politicians and classical music)
enhances their appeal.
• Emotional Appeal: Attempts to influence behavior on
the basis of feelings that are aroused instead of
rational analysis of the issues.
• Counter-arguments: People tend to believe
arguments that run counter to the vested interests of
the communicator.
Persuasion: The
Communicator and Context
• Persuasive communicators are characterized by
credibility, likeability, trustworthiness, attractiveness,
and similarity with their audiences.
• We also tend to persuaded by the famous, health
professionals and attractive individuals.
• Elements of the immediate environment, such as
music can increase the likelihood of persuasion.
Also, if the target of persuasion is in a good mood,
they might be more receptive to a persuasive
argument.
Sales Ploys
• The Foot-in-the-Door: A method for inducing
compliance in which a small request is followed by a
larger request.
• Low-Balling: A method in which extremely attractive
terms are offered to induce a person to make a
commitment. Once the commitment is made, the
terms are revised.
• Bait-and-Switch: The sales tactic of baiting customers
with low-priced, but inferior merchandise and then
switching them to a higher-priced item of more
acceptable quality.
Group Influences
Obedience to Authority
• Psychologists have long been concerned with
the nature of blind obedience. Why are so
many people willing to commit crimes against
humanity when they are ordered to do so?
• Stanley Milgram also wondered about this
and conducted an experiment to determine
how many people would resist authority
figures who made immoral requests.
The Milgram Studies:
• Milgram recruited 40 men from all walks
of life to take part in the study.
• These participants were then placed in
the role of “teacher” and took part in an
experiment in which they believed they
were studying the effects of punishment
upon learning.
The Milgram Studies:
• The “teachers” were to punish
the “learner’s” errors by
pressing levers on an
“aggression machine.” The
voltage went from 15 volts up
to a lethal level.
• The “learners” were never
shocked, but did provide the
“teachers” with emotional
cues by playing sounds on a
tape recorder at
predetermined levels of
voltage. For example, at 210
volts the “teacher” might hear
a scream of pain.
The Milgram Studies:
• When the “teacher”
would become
uncomfortable with
going further, the
“scientist” would
simply respond with
a statement such as
“The experiment
requires that you
continue.”
The Milgram Studies:
• Of the 40 men in the first
phase, only 5 refused to go
beyond the 300-volt level.
• Nine more men defied the
scientist within the 300-volt
range.
• 65% of the participants in the
study went all the way to 450volt shocks.
• Women and college students
also showed similar results in
later studies.
Factors in Blind Obedience
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Propaganda
Socialization
Lack of Social Comparison
Perception of legitimate authority
The foot-in-the-door technique
Inaccessibility of values
Buffers
CONFORMITY
• Conform: To change one’s attitudes or behaviors to
adhere to social norms.
• Social norms: Explicit and implicit rules that reflect
social expectations and influence the ways people
behave in social situations.
• The tendency to conform to social norms impacts us
in many areas (covering your mouth when you
sneeze, not cutting in line, etc.).
CONFORMITY
• The tendency to conform to social norms can
be positive (such as covering your mouth
when you sneeze) or maladaptive (such as
engaging in risky behavior because
“everyone is doing it.”)
• Many like to think of themselves as nonconformists, but a classic study by Solomon
Asch demonstrated that we are more likely to
conform than we think.
Asch Study on Conformity
• Participants were asked to take part in a
study on “visual discrimination.” The
participant was one of eight people who
judged line lengths on a card held by an
individual facing the row of eight people.
• The participant was given the seventh of the
eight seats. The other seven individuals were
confederates working for the experimenter.
Asch Study on Conformity
• The participants
were to match the
comparison line with
the standard line by
saying “1”, “2” or “3”.
• On a “key trial”, the
first six in the row
answer incorrectly.
Asch Study on Conformity
• The participants
experienced a fair
degree of discomfort on
these “key trials.”
• 75% of the participants
went along with the
group and gave the
wrong answer on at
least one “key trial.”
Factors Influencing Conformity
• Belonging to a collectivist rather than an
individualistic society
• Desire to be liked by other members of the
group
• Low self-esteem
• Social shyness
• Lack of familiarity with the task
• Group size
• Social support
Mob Behavior
• Deindividuation: The process by which group
members discontinue self-evaluation and
adopt group norms and attitudes.
• Diffusion of Responsibility: The dilution or
loss of individual responsibility for behavior
when members of a group act in unison.
Altruism and Helping Behavior
Altruism and the Bystander Effect.
• Altruism: Unselfish concern for the
welfare of others. Altruism is
characterized by helping behavior.
• Bystander effect: The tendency for
bystanders to fail to act to help a person
in need.
Decision Making
Model
• This model by Latane
and Darley proposes
that for helping to
occur, a bystander
must make five
independent
decisions. Saying
“no” at any of the
steps leads to a
failure to help.
The Helper: Who Helps?
• Observers are more likely to help if they are
in a good mood. Elevated mood might impart
a sense of personal power.
• People who have a developed sense of
empathy will be more likely to help as they
will feel the distress of others.
• Women are more likely than men to be
empathic and therefore, more likely to help.
The Victim: Who is Helped?
• People are more likely to help people they
know. Especially with family and relatives.
• People are more likely to help others who are
similar to themselves.
• Women are more likely than men to get help.
Becoming Assertive
Steps to becoming more
assertive
• Self-Monitoring: Self-monitoring of social areas can help you
pinpoint problem areas.
• Confronting Irrational Beliefs: While monitoring behavior, pay
attention to irrational beliefs that lead to unassertive or
aggressive behavior.
• Modeling: Much of our behavior is modeled after that of people
we respect and admire. A therapist can help an individual mold
their new behaviors.
• Behavior Rehearsal: It is a good idea to try out new behaviors
in non-threatening situations, such as before a mirror. This will
accustom you to the sounds of assertive talk.
To the Instructor:
• The preceding slides are intended to provide
you a base upon which to build your
presentation for Chapter 7 of Nevid’s
Psychology and the Challenges of Life.
• For further student and instructor resources
including images from the textbook, quizzes,
flashcard activities and e-Grade plus, please
visit our website: www.wiley.com/college/nevid
Copyright
Copyright 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York,
NY. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected
by this copyright may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without written permission
of the copyright owner.