1 Social Influence Module 44. QR code for the SG for the 43 44 45 Exam 2.

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Social Influence

Module 44

QR code for the SG for the 43 44 45 Exam

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Social Psychology

Social Influence Overview Conformity and Obedience

Group Influence

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Social Influence

The greatest contribution of social psychology is its study of attitudes, beliefs,

decisions, and actions and the way they are molded by social influence.

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Conformity & ObedienceConformity: Adjusting one’s behavior or

thinking to coincide with a group standard (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999).

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The laugh track and mind control…

• Researchers have confirmed that laugh tracks increase the likelihood that a viewer will consider a situation funny. We laugh in order to fit into and conform with our social surroundings.

• You think you know what is funny but do you really?...

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The Chameleon EffectChameleon Effect: Unconsciously

mimicking others expressions, postures & voice.

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Group Pressure & Conformity

Suggestibility is a subtle type of conformity, adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group standard.

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Group Pressure & Conformity

Informational Social Influence: The willingness to accept others’ opinions

about reality. Link 1:58

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Conditions that Increase Conformity1. One is made to feel incompetent or

insecure.2. The group has at least three people. (but

no appreciable increase over 3)3. The group is unanimous.(a single dissenter

will reduce conformity the most)4. One admires the group’s status and

attractiveness.5. One has no prior commitment to a

response.6. The group observes one’s behavior.7. One’s culture strongly encourages respect

for a social standard.

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Reasons for Conforming

Normative Social Influence: Influence resulting from a person’s

desire to gain approval or avoid rejection.

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Obedience

Stanley Milgram designed a study that

investigates the effects of authority on

obedience.

People comply with social pressures. How would they respond to

outright command? Stanley Milgram(1933-1984)

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Milgram’s StudyB

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Derren Brown on Milgram 10:48

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Milgram’s Study: Results

Milgram on Youtube

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Diffusion of Responsibility/Bystander Intervention Effect

• The phenomenon where a person is less likely to take responsibility for an action or inaction when others are present.

• The greater number of bystanders who witness an emergency the less likely it is that any one of them will intervene to help.

• Link 3:36 Bystander effect Link

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Individual Resistance

A third of the individuals in Milgram’s study resisted social coercion. Link 9:57

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Lessons from the Conformity and Obedience Studies

In both Asch's and Milgram's studies, participants were pressured to choose between following their standards and

being responsive to others.

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Individual Behavior in the Presence of Others

Social facilitation: Refers to improved

performance on tasks in the presence of

others.

Triplett (1898) noticed cyclists’ race

times were faster when they competed against others than

when they just raced against the clock.

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Social LoafingThe tendency of an individual in a group

to exert less effort toward attaining a common goal than when tested

individually (Latané, 1981).

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Social Proof

• Idea that if others are doing something it must be ok for me. – Phillips’ research has demonstrated that, immediately following

a front-page suicide story, the suicide rate increases dramatically in those geographical areas where the story has been highly publicized.

– Heavyweight championship prize fights that receive coverage on network evening news appear to produce measurable increases in the United States homicide rate.

– For example, it has been shown (Phillips, 1979) that immediately following certain kinds of highly publicized suicide stories, the number of people who die in commercial-airline crashes increases by 1,000 percent! Even more alarming: The increase is not limited to airplane deaths. The number of automobile fatalities shoots up as well (Phillips, 1980).

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Serial Killers and Social Proof

• According to FBI forensic experts, each nationally publicized incident of this sort spawned an average of 30 more incidents (Toufexis, 1993).

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DeindividuationThe loss of self-awareness and self-

restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Mob behavior

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Effects of Group Interaction

Group Polarization enhances a group’s prevailing attitudes

through a discussion.

If a group is like-minded, discussion

strengthens its prevailing opinions

and attitudes.

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Groupthink

A mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides the realistic appraisal of

alternatives.Escalation of Vietnam WarKennedy and the Bay of Pigs InvasionWatergate Cover-upChernobyl Reactor AccidentChallenger explosion

Feynman on the o-ring http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qAi_9quzUY

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Power of Individuals

The power of social influence is enormous, but so is the power of

the individual.

Non-violent fasts and appeals by Gandhi led to

the independence of India from the British.

We need pro-social models! Gandhi

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EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY(7th Edition in Modules)

David MyersPowerPoint Slides

Aneeq AhmadHenderson State

University

Worth Publishers, © 2008

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Power of defaults