Chapter 9 Social Influence: How We Change Other’s Behavior-and How Change Ours

Social Influence: - a fact of daily life. - each day, we are exposed too many different forms of social influence – efforts by others to change our attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors.  Social Influence is a basic fact of social life.

1. Conformity : individuals change their attitudes or behavior in order to adhere to existing social norms. Social Norms Detail: by written laws Precise: unwritten rules, unspoken, implicit One fact is clear: most people obey them most of time.

Useful function norms : form a line and wait your turn : traffic signal : attending school Simply exist norms : dress codes such as formal dress in the office ( Female-skirts, Male- neckties)

1) Factors affecting conformity : cohesiveness, group size, and type of social norm. Cohesiveness : with respect to conformity, the degree of attraction felt by an individual toward an influencing group.  When cohesiveness ( attraction) is high, pressures toward conformity are magnified.

Conformity and group size : conformity increase with group size up to about their members. Norms Descriptive norms : are ones indicating what most people do in a given situation. Injunctive norms : specify what ought to be done – what is approved or disapproved behavior in a given situation.

2) The bases of conformity : why we often chooses to “Go Along” – and what happens after we do. : conformity – is basic fact of social life. : why people choose to “go along” two powerful needs possessed The desire to be liked or accepted by others and it to be right. Cognitive processes that lead us to view conformity as fully justified after it has occurred.

a. The desire to be liked. : Normative Social Influence b a. The desire to be liked. : Normative Social Influence b. The desire to be right. : Informational Social Influence c. Justifying conformity : The cognitive consequences of “go along” with the group.

3) Minority Influence: Dose the majority always rule 3) Minority Influence: Dose the majority always rule? Galileo, Pasteur, Freud  They have succeeded in changing strongly held attitudes and laws so that society itself has been altered through their efforts.

2. Compliance – for inducing others to say yes to your requests 2. Compliance – for inducing others to say yes to your requests. * The best way to find out about compliance was to study. ( by Robert Cialdini) named Compliance Professionals : People whose success (financial or otherwise) depends on their ability to get others to say yes.

* 6 basic principles for gaining compliance by Cialdni, 1994 - 1) Friendship/ liking : we are more willing to comply with requests from friends or from people we like. - 2) Commitment/ consistency : we generally want to behave in a consistent manner, so once we are committed to a position or view, we try to say or do things that fit with it in various ways.

- 3) Scarcity : we more likely to comply with requests that focus on “disappearing opportunities” than on ones that make no reference to such changes. - 4) Reciprocity : we are generally more willing to comply with requests from someone who has previously provided a favor or concession to us.

- 5) Social Validation : we are generally more willing to comply with requests for some action if this action is consistent with what we believe persons similar to ourselves are doing ( or thinking) - 6) Authority : we are usually more willing to comply with requests from someone who is a legitimate authority.

1. Kinds of Tactics 1) Based on Friendship or Liking Ingratiation : impression management techniques  so getting others to like us 2) Based on Commitment or consistency Foot – in – the- door technique : which requesters begin with a small request and then, when this is granted, escalate to a large one.

Lowball procedure : a very good deal is offered, after customer accepts, something happens that makes it necessary to change the deal. 3) Based on Reciprocity Door- in-the-Face technique : requesters begin with a large request and then, when this is refused, retreat to a smaller one. That’s-Not-All technique : before the target person decide his mind, by something that sweetens the deal – a small extra incentive.

Foot-in-the-Mouth tactic : requester establishes some kinds of relationship, no matter how trivial, with the target person, thereby increasing this person’s feeling of obligation to comply. 4) Based on Scarcity Playing hard to get : suggesting that a person or object is scarce and hard to obtain.

Deadline technique : Target persons are told that they have only limited time to take advantage of some offer or to obtain some items. 3. Obedience We are more willing to agree to requests from persons with authority.