Transcript Tue June 25th - Mrs. Harvey`s Social Psychology Class

Welcome!
Social Psychology
PSY450
Instructor: Briana Harvey
Social Influence
• Two Types of Social Influence
• Techniques of Social Influence
Social Influence and
Persuasion
• James Warren Jones
– Jonestown (1978)
Jonestown
Social Influence- Jonestown
• How could Jim Jones have influenced his followers to
such a deep level that more than 900 committed
revolutionary suicide?
Conformity
• A change in behavior or belief as a result of real
or imagined group pressure
Two types of Conformity
 Compliance:
 Conformity that involves publicly acting in accord
with social pressure while privately disagreeing
Two types of Conformity
 Acceptance:
 Conformity that involves both acting and believing
in accord with social pressure
Conformity – Candid Camera
• Link
Two Types of Social Influence
• Informational
– Private Acceptance
• Normative
– Public Compliance
Two Types of Social Influence
• Informational Influence
– Conformity that results from going along with the
crowd
– Genuine inner belief that others are right
– “They must know something I don’t know…”
Two Types of Social Influence
 Group Norms
 Beliefs or behaviors that a group of people accept as
normal
Informational Social Influence
 Sherif experiment (1935)
 Participants were placed in a dark room, and saw a
bright light move erratically for a few seconds.
Participants were asked how far the light moved
 Next day, they had the same experience in a group
setting. The group formed a norm for how far the
light had moved (based on judgments from everyone
in the group)
Informational Social Influence
• Over time, participants changed their estimates
markedly in the direction of the other participants
– The light didn’t really move (autokinetic
phenomenon)
Informational Social Influence
• More likely to happen when:
1. The situation is ambiguous. We have choices
but do not know which to select.
2. There is a crisis. We have no time to think and
experiment. A decision is required now!
3. Others are experts. If we accept the authority of
others, they must know better than us.
Sometimes however….
• Pluralistic Ignorance
– Nobody knows!
– Looking to others for cues, while they are looking
to you
Two Types of Social Influence
• Normative Influence:
– Conformity based on going along with the crowd in
order to be liked or accepted
– Often an inner belief that the group is wrong
– “I don’t want to be rejected by the group…”
– Produces public compliance
Normative Social Influence
• Normative Influence
– Going along with the crowd to be liked
• Asch (1955) study of normative influence
– Conformity increases as group size increases
• Deviating from the group
– Social rejection
Asch Conformity Experiment
• When answering alone, 99% were correct
– What if others gave the wrong answer…would
people agree with the group or give the obvious
correct answer?
– 6 confederates and 1 participant
• Participant answered 6th of the 7 ‘participants’
– Confederates all gave the same wrong answer
– 37% of the responses were conforming
– About 75% of participants conformed at least once
Asch Conformity Experiment
• Important things to remember about Asch experiment:
– There was no ‘extra’ incentive to conform
– Unlike real life, the stimulus was unambiguous
Factors to Consider
• Group size
– Conformity increases as the size increases up to
about 5 people
– Dance party
Factors to Consider
• Unanimity
– When participants had an ‘ally,’ conformity
decreased considerably
– Dropped to about 9% in Asch’s studies
Factors to Consider
• Cohesion
– The more closely a group is bound together, the
more conforming its members tend to be
– Eating disorders tend to “spread” within
sororities
Factors to Consider
• Status
– Higher-status people have more impact
• Public response
– We conform more when we respond in front of
others rather than answering privately
Social Influence
Techniques based on
• Commitment & Consistency
• Reciprocation
• Scarcity
• Capturing & Disrupting Attention
Types of Conformity
Other less extreme examples of
conformity…
• Bartenders and street musicians will often place money
in their tip jars or hats – again research shows that this
works
• TV comedies that use laugh track
– Research shows that it works
Techniques of Social Influence
based on Commitment &
Consistency
Techniques of Social Influence
• Foot-in-the-Door Technique
– Start with small request to gain eventual compliance with
larger request
– Jonestown
– 1st: help stuff envelopes
– 2nd: donate $10
– 3rd: donate $25 and come to meetings…
– Can I go over to Suzy's house for an hour?" followed by "Can I stay
the night?"
– "May I turn in the paper a few hours late?" followed by "May I turn
it in next week?"
TACTIC
Foot-inthe-Door
FIRST STEP
SECOND STEP
TACTIC
Foot-inthe-Door
FIRST STEP
Gain Person’s
Compliance
With a Small
Request
example:
“Would you
sign a petition
to help feed
starving
animals?”
SECOND STEP
TACTIC
Foot-inthe-Door
FIRST STEP
SECOND STEP
Gain Target’s
Compliance
With a Small
Request
Make A
Related,
Larger
Request
Would you sign
a petition to
help feed
starving
animals?
“Would you
work for 2
weeks in the
animal
shelter?”
Techniques of Social Influence
• Low-ball Technique
– Start with low-cost request and later reveal the hidden costs
The Low-Ball Technique
• Commitments have a tendency to “grow their own
legs”
– People justify their initial commitment
– Ex. Good deal, almost sold out, like the product,
etc.
So by the time you hear about the hidden costs
you have already made all these justifications
and typically fulfill the commitment
TACTIC
FIRST STEP
Low-Ball
Get an
Agreement to a
Specific
Arrangement
Get Customer
to Agree to Buy
a New Car for
$25,000
SECOND STEP
TACTIC
FIRST STEP
SECOND STEP
Low-Ball
Get an
Agreement to a
Specific
Arrangement
Change The
Terms of The
Arrangement
Get Customer
to Agree to Buy
a New Car for
$25,000
“Oh, you
wanted tires
and seats?
Then that’ll
be $27,999.”
Cialdini et al. (1978)
Techniques of Social Influence
• Bait-and-Switch Technique
– Draw people in with an attractive offer that is not
available and then switch to a less attractive offer that
is available
– It works by getting people to make a commitment to
a general course of action
TACTIC
FIRST STEP
Advertise a Low
Price on a New
Stereo
Bait and
Switch
Spur The
Person to Take
a Course of
Action
SECOND STEP
TACTIC
Bait and
Switch
FIRST STEP
SECOND STEP
Advertise a Low
Price on a New
Stereo
“That stereo
is junk, but
just $99 more
buys this
beauty!”
Spur The
Target to Take
a Course of
Action
Describe
Course as
Unwise,
Suggest
Alternative
Techniques of Social Influence
• Labeling Technique
– Assigning a label to an individual and then making a
request consistent with that label
– To kids: “You look like a kid who understands how
important penmanship is…”
– Kids more likely to work hard to cursive writing
– To adults: “You look like an above average citizen”
– Adults more likely to vote the following weekend
Techniques of Social Influence
• Legitimization-of-Paltry-Favors
Technique
– Make a small amount of aid acceptable
– Ex: “For the cost of a cup of coffee a day…”
Techniques of Social Influence
based on Reciprocity
You take care of me..I’ll take care of
you
Techniques Based on Reciprocation
• Door-in-the-Face Technique
– Start with an inflated request and then retreat to a
smaller one that appears to be “doing a favor”
– Does not work if the first request is viewed as
unreasonable
– Does not work if requests are made by different
people
TACTIC
FIRST STEP
Make a large
request – big
commitment or
price
Door in
Face
Ex: Volunteer
2x week for 2
years
SECOND STEP
TACTIC
FIRST STEP
Make a large
request – big
commitment or
price
Door in
Face
Ex: Volunteer
2x week for 2
years
SECOND STEP
Reduce
request to
make it seem
reasonable
How about
volunteer 1
day next
week?
Techniques Based on Reciprocation
• That’s-Not-All Technique
– Begin with inflated request but immediately add to
the deal by offering a bonus or discount
Techniques Based on Reciprocation
• That’s-Not-All Technique
– Which is better?
(A) Cupcakes and cookies for $1
(B) Cupcakes for $1
with free cookies!
Techniques of Social Influence
based on Scarcity
It’s very rare..how much will you
pay??
Techniques Based on Scarcity
• Rare opportunities are more valuable than plentiful
ones
• Scarcity heuristic in decision making
– What is rare is good
• Psychological reactance
– When personal freedoms are threatened, we
experience this unpleasant emotional response
– This unpleasant emotion motivates us to obtain the
scarce opportunity
Techniques Based on Scarcity
• Limited-number technique: influence people
to act, buy, behave in a certain way based on “short
supply” of item.
• Fast-approaching deadline technique:
influence people to act, buy, behave in a certain way
based on “limited time” offer.
Techniques Based on Capturing
and Disrupting Attention
Techniques Based on Capturing and Disrupting
Attention
• Pique Technique
– One captures people’s attention by making a novel
request
Techniques Based on Capturing and Disrupting
Attention
• Disrupt-then-Reframe Technique
– Introduce an unexpected element that disrupts
critical thinking and then reframe the message in a
positive light
– EXAMPLE: cost of only 300 pennies (disrupt)
which is a deal! (reframe)
VS.
Social Influence and
Persuasion
• Elements of the persuading message
• Factors that influence the Whos and Whats of persuasion
• Defensive techniques to avoid being persuaded
Can you name the technique?
Persuasion
• Attempt to change a person’s attitude
• Three components of persuasion
– Who – Source of the message
– Says What – Actual message
– To Whom – Audience
Who: The Source
• Celebrity endorsement
• Source credibility
– Expertise and trustworthiness
– Sleeper effect – over time, people separate the
message from the messenger (forget who gave it)
• What makes a source credible???
– Expertise
– trustworthiness
Who: The source
• Source likability
– Similarity to us
– physical attractiveness
– Halo effect: Belief that because someone has one
desirable trait (attractive) they also have others
(intelligence)
Who: The Source
• Convert communications: People are perceived as
a credible source because they are arguing against their
own previously held attitudes
– Example: Jared from Subway
Say What: The Message
• Reason Versus Emotion
– Well educated and analytical people respond to
reason.
– People in a good mood are more responsive to
persuasive messages (Use humor!)
– Moderate fear is the most persuasive
– Not too weak of an argument
– Not too strong of an argument
Say What: The Message
• Stealing Thunder
– Revealing potentially incriminating evidence to
negate its importance
– Source appears more honest and credible
Say What: The Message
• Repetition
– If neutral or positive response initially:
– repeated exposure = persuasive message
– Advertisement wear-out: “Can you hear me now?”
– Repetition with variety: “Mayhem Ads”
• Advertisement wear-out
– is a “condition of inattention and possible irritation
that occurs after an audience or target market has
encountered a specific advertisement too many
times”
Repetition Ads…
To Whom: The Audience
• Moderately intelligent are easiest to persuade
• People high in need for cognition are more persuaded
by strong arguments (people who enjoy thinking!)
– Attitudes are more resistant to change
• People high in public self-consciousness are more
persuaded by name brand and styles
To Whom: The Audience
• Impressionable years hypothesis
– Middle-aged people most resistant to persuasion
• Attitudes formed in young adulthood remain fairly
stable over time
• Messages consistent with cultural values are more
persuasive
To Whom: The Audience
• “Overheard” messages are more persuasive
– Product placements
Psychology of Advertising
Two Routes to Persuasion
• Central route
– Involves conscious processing
– Careful and thoughtful consideration
– “Is it a deal?”
• Peripheral route
– Involves automatic processing
– Influenced by some simple cue
– “Oh look! Beyoncé wears that lipstick too!”
Elaboration Likelihood Model
• Central Route
– Quality of the arguments
– Initial attitude
• Peripheral Route
– Speaker credibility
– Reaction of others
– Source attractiveness
Distraction when Persuading
• Distraction decreases our ability to think about a
persuasive message.
• When the message arguments are weak, distraction
increases the persuasiveness of the message.
• When the message arguments are strong, distraction
decreases the persuasiveness of the message
Resisting Persuasion
 Attitude Inoculation:
 When people resist persuasion, they become more
confident in their initial attitudes
 When we have resisted persuasion we feel more
certain about our attitude
 Advance warning of a persuasive message
 Prepare to defend!
 Boomerang effect: doing the exact opposite if
what the message is trying to persuade
Defenses Against Techniques
• Commitment and Consistency
– Reexamine the sense of obligation
– Ask “If I could go back in time would I make this
same commitment?”
Defenses Against Techniques
• Reciprocation
– Evaluate favors or concessions to avoid guilt over
lack of reciprocity
– “Accept initial favors or concessions in good faith but
be ready to define them as tricks if they prove to be
tricks”
Defenses Against Techniques
• Scarcity
– Recognize psychological reactance (panic at losing
freedom) as a signal to think rationally
– Evaluate the reason we want the item
Defenses Against Techniques
• Capturing and Disrupting Attention
– Stop and think before action
Bye!