SOCIAL INFLUENCE

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• SOCIAL INFLUENCE

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DEFINITION

• Interpersonal processes that lead to changes in
  the beliefs, feelings, or behaviours of another
  person. (Forsyth, 1995)
• Key words Influence source, influence target,
  power, compliance, conformity, obedience

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A theory to explain social influence

• SOCIAL IMPACT THEORY (Latane, 1981)
• The social influence exerted by a source on a
  target person depends on three factors
• Strength the status, ability, or power of the
  source, or the relationship of source to the
  target
• Immediacy a sources proximity in time and space
  to the target.
• Number the number of sources relative to the
  number of target.
• Other theories Theory of Reciprocity, Cognitive
  Dissonance Theory, Behaviourism

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Types of power

• The force that motivates the change
• Reward power sources ability to provide target
  with reward.
• Coercive power sources ability to punish target
  for noncompliance.
• Expert power source has superior knowledge in
  domain in which influence in being attempted.
• Referent power targets desire to be similar to
  or identify with source
• Legitimate power source, by virtue of his/ her
  role or position has the right to tell the target
  what to do.
• Informational power sources ability to provide
  target with information that convinces target.

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TYPES OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE

• CONFORMITY
• COMPLIANCE
• OBEDIENCE

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CONFORMITY

• Refers to a deep- seated, private and enduring
• change in ones behaviour or thinking to coincide
• with the standard behaviour of a group or
• society.
• Conformity is further determined by two types of
  social influences
• Informational social influence and,
• Normative social influence

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Informational social influence (ISI)

• Asserts that we rely on others for information.
• We compare our ideas, feelings, and actions to
  others when we are unsure of what is appropriate
  (social comparison).
• We accept the arguments and data of people whom
  we assume to be knowledgeable (systematic
  informational influence).
• We rely on heuristics (or short cuts) when we do
  not have time to think things through (heuristic
  informational influence).
• Types of power exerted reward, coercive,
  referent, legitimate

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Normative social influence

• we allow norms to guide our behaviour both
  during informal and formal settings. People
  conform to group norms in order to fit in.
• Value- expressive social influence conformity
  due to a desire to be like others.
• Utilitarian social influence conformity to group
  norms in order to avoid punishments or obtain
  rewards.
• Types of power exerted expert, informational

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Influences on Conformity

• Group size conformity increases with group size
  up to four persons in the group, and then levels
  off.
• Awareness of group norms Conformity increases
  when the norm is activated or brought to the
  persons attention.
• An ally in dissent the presence of a single
  confederate who disagrees with the majority
  reduces conformity.

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Some Classical conformity studies

• Solomon Asch (1951) The classic social
  influence study. (please see handout)
• Muzafer Sherif(1936) Autokinetic Effect (read up
  on your own)
• Venkatesan (1966) A marketing replication (read
  up on your own)

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COMPLIANCE

• This occurs when individuals change their
  behaviour in response to more direct requests
  from others.
• It involves the use of direct strategies and
  skills by other people to get us to help them,
  give them money, buy certain products and so on.

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TECHNIQUES TO INFLUENCE COMPLIANCE

• THE FOOT IN THE DOOR- where someone first makes a
  small request and when the person complies, they
  make another request but this time its a larger
  request.
• THE DOOR IN THE FACE- when an unreasonably large
  request is made to begin with that most people
  will reject and then this is immediately followed
  by a more modest sounding request.
• THE LOW- BALL TECHNIQUE/ LOW- BALLING- when a
  reasonable request is made initially and then the
  requester reveals information that increases the
  cost involved
• THATS- NOT- ALL TECHNIQUE- when a somewhat
  inflated request is made, immediately decreasing
  the apparent size of the request by offering a
  discount or adding a bonus
• BAIT- AND- SWITCH- gaining someone's agreement on
  one thing, then switching to something else at
  the last minute.

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Studies done to check how the strategies work

• Foot-in-the-door Freedman Fraser (1966) Pilner
  et. al. (1974)
• Door-in-the-face Cialdini Schroder (1976)
  Cialdini colleagues (1975)
• Low- Balling Cialdini (1978)

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OBEDIENCE

• This occurs when individuals change their
  behaviour because of orders or commands given by
  figures with greater designated or earned
  authority. It is often understood that the
  decision not to obey can lead to punishment,
  imprisonment or even death.

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Classical studies on obedience

• Zimbardos Prison Experiment (1973)
• Milgrams Experiment on Obedience (1963)
• (please see handouts)