Download ISS Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Social Influence
Dr. M. Davis-Brantley
Social Influence
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Why we behave the way we choose to
behave?
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Social Norms, Social Conformity
 Ex:
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Walking on the street in the nude
Social influence is the area of social
psychology that studies the ways in
which people influence the thoughts,
feelings, and behavior of other people
Persuasion
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How are individuals persuaded to alter
their behaviors, thoughts, feelings, beliefs,
etc…
Emotional Appeal a type of persuasive
communication that influences behavior on
the basis of feelings that are aroused
instead of rational analysis of the issues
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Ex: Clergymen to the congregation
Book Ex: Jonathan Edwards famous sermon
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (Fear)
Fear of dying or aging in advertisements
Persuasion
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Two primary ways to use persuasion to get
others to change their behaviors or beliefs
Central Route is a route of persuasion
that stimulates thoughtful consideration of
the arguments and the evidence
Peripheral Route is a route to persuading
others that associates objects with positive
or negative cues
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Ex: Advertising—Lebron James & Thirst
(Sprite), The Geico Gecko, what else
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All beef patties, special sauce, special cheese, pickles,
onions, on a sesame seed bun (Big Mac)
Persuasion
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Effects of familiarity and repetition
Researchers found that repeated
exposure to images, people, etc…
enhances their appeal
 The more complex the stimuli, the more
likely it is that frequent exposure will
have favorable effects
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Persuasive Communication
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Who do we trust and why?
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Persuasive communicators are
characterized by expertise,
trustworthiness, attractiveness, or
similarity to their audiences
 Ex:
Doctors, athletes, models, etc…
Persuasive Communication
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What happens when we hear
something that conflicts with our
beliefs?
Selective avoidance is when one
diverts her/his attention from
information that is inconsistent with
one’s attitudes
 Selective exposure is deliberately
seeking and attending to information
that is consistent with one’s attitude
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Persuasive Techniques
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Good mood—important because we are
less likely to examine information carefully
when we are feeling good
Foot-in-the-door technique a method
used for inducing compliance in which a
small request is followed by a larger
request

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Telemarketers “Just a few minutes”
Low-balling a method in which extremely
attractive terms are offered to induce a
person to make a commitment. Once a
commitment is made, the terms are
revised
Obedience and Authority
Why are soldiers able to follow orders
without question even to the point
where they can kill others?
 Psychologist Stanley Milgram (Yale,
1963) attempted to find out

Milgram Experiment (1963)
Study on the effects of punishment
on learning
 Enlisted 40 men aged 20-50 years old
 Teachers, engineers, laborers, etc…
 Thought they were participating in a
study on learning and memory

Milgram Experiment (1963)
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Each experiment was composed of a “teacher” and a
“learner”
The “learner” was strapped into a chair as part of the
experiment and often would object
The teacher (participant) would enter another area of
the room where they wouldn’t be able to see the
learner
In this room was an “Aggression Machine” with
sophisticated gadgets and turn knobs marked with 15
to 450 volts
Labels described 28 of 30 knobs from “Slight Shock” to
“Danger: Severe Shock”
The last 2 levers were simply labeled “XXX”
So that the teacher would know how the electric shock
felt, the scientist would give the participant (teacher) a
sample 45 volt shock
Milgram Experiment (1963)
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The “Aggression Machine” was used to punish
the learner if he did not complete the task
properly
The learner’s task was to learn a pair of words
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The teacher would read pairs of words
After hearing the list once, the learner would have
to produce the word that was paired with the
stimulus word
He would do so by pressing a switch that would
signify his choice from a list of four alternatives
If the answer was correct, the learner could move
on to the next task
If the answer was incorrect, the teacher would
administer a shock to the learner
Milgram Experiment (1963)
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The teacher was told that the shocks would not cause any
“permanent tissue damage”, although it would be
extremely painful
The learner would answer questions correctly initially;
however, when they would get some wrong the teacher
would administer mild shock with mild concern
The learner would continue to make mistakes and would
continue to be shocked at increased levels
The teacher would look to the experimenter and the
experimenter would tell the participant to continue on and
inform them that the experiment requires them to move
on
At 300 volts the learner would pound and yell and the
teacher was told to continue
At some point the learner would stop answering and just
scream and the teacher was told to continue
Milgram Experiment (1963)
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Milgram found that although the participants were
disconcerted he discovered that most of them
would continue to comply and go beyond 300 volts
Only 5 men refused to continue on
Milgram was able to replicate the experiment with
college students and women
FYI the teachers did not actually shock a learner it
was completely simulated and the learner was just
a confederate (researcher)
Milgram Experiment (1963)
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Why was this able to happen?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Propaganda where people to be victimized are
often degraded as being subhuman (Nazi)
Socialization-people are socialized from early
childhood to obey authority figures
Lack of Social Comparison-inability to compare
yourself to the victim
Perception of Legitimate Authority-influence of
the reputation and authority of the setting
Foot-in-the-door technique-once the person
started participating, may have found it
progressively difficult to pull out of the situation
Conformity
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To Conform is to change one’s attitudes or
behaviors to adhere to social norms
Social Norms are explicit and implicit
rules that reflect social expectations and
influence the ways people behave in social
situations
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Explicit rules include those that are often
turned into rules and laws such as whispering in
a library
Implicit rules are those that are unspoken
such as facing the front of the elevator after we
enter it and being “fashionably late” to a party
Conformity: Asch Study
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Solomon Asch (1952) studied conformity
Recruited individuals who thought they were
participating in a study of visual discrimination
Subjects were placed in a room with 7 other
subjects
There are 2 cards with lines on them
Chart A: One Line
Chart B: Three Lines (one of equal length to
the line on Chart A)
75% of participants agreed with the majorities
wrong answer at least once
Factors that influence
conformity
Belonging to 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
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Deindividuation
The process by which group members
may discontinue self-evaluation and
adopt group norms and attitudes
 Factors that lead to deindividuation
include;
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Anonymity, diffusion of responsibility,
arousal due to noise and crowding, and
focus on emerging group norms rather
than own values
 Ex: Angry Mobs
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Altruism and Helping
Behavior
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Altruism is the unselfish concern for the
welfare of others
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Exist among all animals and most humans
Humans have been known to sacrifice their
well-being for the survival of others (children)
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Primates have been known to suicidally attack a
leopard to give the others the opportunity to escape
On the other hand: Bystander Effect is the
tendency to stand by and do nothing when
others are in need
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Ex: Kitty Genovese
Altruism and Helping
Behavior
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What determines likelihood we will
help those in need?
Good mood
 Empathy—those who feel the distress of
others or feel concern for them
 If there is the belief that an emergency
exists
 Responsibility
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