Social Influence and Persuasion

Social Influence

• Social influence is the process whereby attitudes and behavior are influenced by the real or implied presence of others.

Conformity

• Conformity is compliance with the standards or norms of a group when no direct request has been made.
• Influential factors that affect conformity:
• Situational Factors:
  • Group size
  • Cohesiveness
  • Public response
  • No prior commitment
• Personal Factors:
  • Self-awareness
  • Self-presentation
  • Status
  • The need for individualization
  • The desire for personal control
• Cultural Factors:
  • Individualism vs. Collectivism
  • Complexity
  • Affluence
  • Heterogeneity

Compliance

• Compliance involves going along with a request made by another.
• Major reasons for compliance:
  • Mindlessness: responding to a request without a good reason or performing behaviors without thinking.
• Strategies to maximize compliance:
  • Ingratiation: strategic attempts to get someone to like a person to obtain compliance.
  • Reciprocity Principles: the law of doing unto others as they do to you.
  • Multiple Request: using a two-step procedure where the first request operates as a set up for the second request.
• Compliance Tactics for Business:
  • Pressure Tactics: using demands, threats, or intimidation to convince the requestee.
  • Upward Appeals: persuading by telling that the request is approved by higher management.
  • Exchange Tactics: making desirable promises in exchange for favors.
  • Coalition Tactics: using the support of others as an argument to gain compliance.
  • Ingratiating Tactics: making the person think favorably before asking something.
  • Rational Persuasion: using logical arguments to persuade.

Obedience

• Obedience is following the directions of an authority.
• Three systems of obedience:
  • Legitimacy of the System: the degree to which an authority group is seen as appropriate and rightful.
  • Legitimacy of the Authorities: the way individuals come to hold their positions.
  • Legitimacy of Demands: the person's perception that what is being demanded fits within the framework of a valid, justifiable request.

Social Power

• Six bases of social power:
  • Expert Power: the ability to change others' attitudes because of knowledge in the area.
  • Legitimate Power: the ability to change others' attitudes because of a person's position.
  • Referent Power: the ability to change others' attitudes because a person is liked and respected.
  • Reward Power: the ability to change others' attitudes because a person gives reinforcements.
  • Coercive Power: the ability to change others' attitudes because a person imposes punishments.
  • Information Power: the ability to change others' attitudes because a person uses persuasive statements.

Other Group Behaviors

• Groupthink: when a group makes a decision without critically evaluating the information.
• Social Facilitation: the improvement in performance caused by being watched.
• Deindividuation: when individuals lose their sense of self and identity in a group.
• Social Loafing: the tendency of people in a group to show less effort when not held individually accountable.