Robert Cialdini’s Principles of Influence: Basic Concepts

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Robert Cialdinis Principles of Influence Basic
Concepts

• Overriding Principle
• Click-Whirr or Automatic Responding
• Mother Turkeys
• Jewelry at Twice the Price!
• Fixed Action Patterns at Copy Machine
• Betting the Shortcut Odds (Heuristics)
• Capitalizing on Genuine Principles
• We should listen to authorities
• Reciprocation is reasonable
• Problems if used inappropriately

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Principle 1 - Reciprocation

• Reciprocation
• You scratched my back, Ill scratch yours
• Get your free samples!
• Get a free Trip to Reno!
• Door-in-the-Face Technique
• Ask big, get turned down, make concession, then
  ask small
• Thats Not All Technique
• No chance to turn down initial request

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Principle 2 Commitment Consistency

• Commitment Consistency
• Cognitive Dissonance Leon Festinger
• We like our attitudes and behavior to be
  consistent
• When they are inconsistent, we feel tension
• Tension is uncomfortable, and we wish to reduce
  it
• We can change behavior or attitude to align the
  two
• Foot-in-Door Technique
• Ask for a small act of compliance, then build on
  it
• Low-Ball Technique
• Make a low offer, then increase it once people
  are hooked

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Principle 3 Social Proof
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Principle 3 Social Proof

• Social Proof
• Conformity to Norms Asch and Sherif
• Laugh Tracks
• Best Seller Lists
• Descriptive vs. Injunctive Norms
• Descriptive Norms What the majority of others is
  doing
• Injunctive Norms What people should do
• Descriptive Norms and the Environment
• Littering, Petrified Wood, and Towel Reuse in
  Hotels

Asch Experiment
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DAY 1 - Alone High Variability
7.5 Inches
1/2 Inch
2Inches
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DAY 2 - Group Medium Variability
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DAY 3 - Group Lower Variability
2 Inches
2.2 Inches
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DAY 4 - Group Norm Formed
2 Inches
2.1 Inches
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Sherifs Classic Study Results
InformationalInfluence
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Sherif vs. Asch Two Types of Influence

• Informational Influence
• Situation is ambiguous
• Information dependence
• We conform to gain information
• Sherif Autokinetic Study
• Normative Influence
• Situation is clear
• Outcome dependence
• We conform to receive rewards or avoid punishment
• Aschs Conformity Studies

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Environmental TheftThe (Negative) Power of
Descriptive Norms

• Message at Petrified Forest National
  Park(Arizona)
• Your heritage is being vandalized every day by
  theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tons a year,
  mostly a small piece at a time.
• Conveys the message that everyone is taking it
• Experiment (Cialdini and colleagues 2003)
• Marked pieces of petrified wood in park
• Injunctive Norm Condition (Sign Read)
• Please dont remove petrified wood from the Park,
  in order to preserve the natural state of the
  Petrified Forest.
• Descriptive Norm Condition (Sign Read)
• Many past visitors have removed petrified wood
  from the Park, changing the natural state of the
  Petrified Forest.
• Theft Rates
• Injunctive Norm (1.67) vs. Descriptive Norm
  (7.92)
• Conclusion?
• When the socially undesirable action is prevalent
  (lots of theft), PSAs should focus on injunctive
  (not descriptive) norm

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LitteringMore Evidence for the Power of
Descriptive Norms

• Cialdini, Reno and Kallgren (1990)
• Subjects find a handbill on their windshield
  which they can litter
• Environment is either clean or littered
• Clean environment conveys descriptive norm that
  people dont litter
• Littered environment conveys descriptive norm
  that people do litter
• Subject sees another person (confederate) litter
  or not
• Observe whether people litter Results ?

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Recycling Towels in HotelsEven More Evidence
for the Power of Descriptive Norms
Below Help Save Environment Control HELP SAVE
THE ENVIRONMENT. You can show your respect for
nature and help save the environment by reusing
your towels during your stay
Social Norm JOIN YOUR FELLOW GUESTS IN HELPING
TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. Almost 75 of guests who
are asked to participate in our new resource
savings program do help by using their towels
more than once. You can join your fellow guests
in this program to help save the environment by
reusing your towels during your stay.
Goldstein, Cialdini, Griskevicius (2008, J of
Consumer Research)
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Principle 4 Liking

• Liking
• We are more likely to comply with requests from
  those we like
• Liking often based on
• Attractiveness
• Familiarity
• Similarity

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Similarity and ComplianceWhat a Coincidence!

• Four Experiments on Impact of Incidental
  Similarity on Compliance with Requests for Help
• Experiment 1
• Same Birthday DV help with a report
• Experiment 2
• Same Name DV donation to Cystic Fibrosis
  Foundation
• Experiment 3
• Same Personality (Either Common or Uncommon) DV
  help with a report
• Experiment 4
• Same Personality (but here DV rated attraction
  to other person)
• All studies show similarity (especially uncommon
  similarity) increases compliance with requests
  for help

Jerry Burger
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Principle 5 Authority

• Authority
• We are more likely to comply with requests from
  authorities
• Milgrams Classic Studies on Obedience to
  Authority

Stanley Milgram
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Milgram Studies Basic Set Up
Confederate
Shock Generator
Real Participant
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BBC - Recreation
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Principle 6 Scarcity

• Scarcity
• We believe that things that are scare are more
  valuable
• More likely to pay more for scarce resources
• Overlapping appointments for selling cars
• Excuse me while I take this call
• One day only at the Bon Marche

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