Social Influence

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Social Influence
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Conformity

• Sherif (1936) norm formation

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Why do people conform?

• Informational social influence people want to
  be correct.
• Normative social influence people dont want to
  be deviant.

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Aschs line matching task
A B C
Standard line
Comparison Lines
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• Asch (1950s) line matching task
• 1 confederate ? 0 compliance
• 2 confederates ? 14 compliance
• 3 confederates ? 32 compliance
• Compliance vs. conversion

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Factors that increase conformity

• 1) larger majority group

passersby who conformed
Size of stimulus crowd
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• 2) unanimity

Percent conformity
Critical trial
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Other Factors

• 3) high status
• 4) public vs. private responses

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Limits to conformity

• Increasing the number of sources of social
  influence increases the impact of these sources
  at a gradually decreasing rate.

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Obedience

• Milgram (1965)
• Baseline 65 shocked to max intensity

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Moderators

• 1) legitimacy of authority
• Bridgeport 48
• 2) proximity of victim
• Same room 40 touch 30
• 3) proximity of the authority figure
• Phone 21
• 4) conformity pressure
• 2 confederates 10

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What causes obedience?

• 1) Normative social influence ? duty to authority
• 2) informational social influence
• 3) ingrained habit
• 4) heuristic rather than controlled, systematic
  processing

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Follow-Up Study Of The Obedience Research
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Principles of Social Influence (SCARFS)

• 1. Social validation influence of others
• 2. Consistency
• e.g. Foot in the door phenomenon, Lowballing
• 3. Authority
• e.g. Milgram

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SCARFS

• 4. Reciprocity
• E,g., door in the face reciprocal concessions
• 5. Friendship/liking
• 6. Scarcity
• Psychological reactance