Social Influence Tactics

Constantly bombarded by attempts to influence us… Newspapers Magazines Television Internet Radio Outdoor signs Politics and Lobbying Public relations Social action campaigns Law/courtroom Friends and peers Spouse Pseudoscience of all types that tries to persuade you to spend money… such as homeopathy, water divining, magnet therapy, etc.

Are we aware of the influence? Are we aware when others are trying to influence us? Are we aware of how we try to influence others?

The story of Robert Cialdini Psychology Professor at Arizona State Left campus for a three-year project going undercover to explore first-hand real-world influence techniques Wrote famous book – Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion Highly paid speaker/consultant

#1 Authority Strong pressure within our society for compliance when requested by an authority figure Examples… Milgram study, Prison studies

#2 Commitment/Consistency People have a desire to look consistent through their words, beliefs, and deeds Examples… Foot-in-the-door (small initial request) Lowballing (you agree to initial offer) Bait-and-Switch (lower quality replacement) “Large poorly written sign” YES “3inch sign”? YES “Large poorly written sign” NO

#3 Liking People prefer to say yes to individuals they know and like. Liking has been associated with physical attractiveness, similarity, and praise Examples… “Halo effect” Targeted advertising

#4 Reciprocation The tendency to feel obligated to return a favor that they have received from another. Examples… Door-in-the-face (initial request unreasonable) That’s-Not-All (additional benefit) Foot-in-mouth (relationship) “Will you donate $100”? NO “Oh, how about $5”? YES

#5 Scarcity People assign more value to opportunities when they are less available Examples… “Limited time offer” “We are running out of the item”

#6 Social Proof Looking to others, particularly role models, is a useful shortcut to determine how to behave Examples… Uncertainty (I don’t know what to do…) Similarity (he/she is like me…)

#7 Emotion Emotions can act as motivation to act in a certain way Examples… Positive feelings (desire for positive self-esteem) Guilt (and then provide way of eliminating the guilt) Fear (and then provide way to prevent scary situation)

Even more influential when add them together…. “The Secret” JUST WISHFUL THINKING: Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of "The Secret," a self-help book and DVD that encourages positive thinking, made it an overnight sensation.

Can we resist these influences? Authority Consistency Liking Reciprocation Scarcity Social Proof Emotion Is this person an expert, truthful? Would I react same without initial commitment? Do I like this product, or the person selling it? Do I feel a “need” to reciprocate, and why? Would I want this product if not scarce? Is what the others are doing right for me? Would I respond differently without emotion?

Control People find freedom of choice valuable, and uncertainty as threatening So, how can we reduce uncertainty? –Illusion of control (imposing control on randomness) –Certainty Effect (overvalue of complete risk elimination)

Positive and negative benefits Positive Benefits? Negative benefits? Mind Control and “The Secret” –Helpful or harmful?