Changing your behavior due to real or imagined influence of others. The outcomes can range from useful to tragic.

Behavior of others helps determine how to respond to a confusing or unusual situation.

Behave the way a group expects to avoid social rejection.

Participants in study given an ambigous task involving eyewitness indentification.

Participants in low importance condition conformed to wrong answers 35% of the time. Participants in high importance condition conformed to wrong answers 51% of the time.

When the situation is ambigious and when its important to be correct.

The situation is ambigious, when situation is a crisis (important to do things right and fast) and when others are experts.

Public compliance with group beliefs and behaviors.

Not always private compliance with group beliefs and behaviors.

High importance group conformed 16% and low importance conformed 33% of the time.

Incresing the importance to be accurate leads people to conform less to group norms.

Having and ally

culture (interdependent more likely to conform)

previous conformity

Participants read about the delinquent and were asked to give a punishment. The confederate always disagreed, and after the group tried to get him to agree unsuccessfully, they punished the confederate by ignoring him.

Social Impact Theory

Latane (1981)

People are likey to conform to normative social influences depending on:

Group strength/importance

Group immediacy-how close they are to you physically (email/phone etc)

Group size-levels out around 3-4 people

In an unequal power situation, submitting to the demands of the more powerful person.

Individuals have internalized a social norm of obediance. Often obey rules when authorities aren't present.

Why do ppl obey authorities?

Normitive vs. Informational

Normative-Doesn't want to mess up study or get in trouble

Informational- Didn't understand, looked to expert or researcher

Responding favorably to an explicit request by another person.

Commitment and consistancy

Reciprocation

Scarcity

Capturing and disrupting attention

Somebody starts with a small request in order to achieve compliance with a larger request.

Comply with a low cost request and later hidden extra costs are revealed.

Drawn in with an attractive offer that is unavailable, switch to a less attractive offer that is available

Requester makes a small amount of aid acceptable. "Every penny will help".

Start with an inflated request and then react to a smaller request that appears to be a concession. Athough the smaller request was desired all alone.

ex: Wanting to get out of class, but will then bring up getting out early (which was the initial desire)

Making an inflated request in addition to offering a bonus or discount.

An item is in short supply.

Capture the attention of the target by making a novel request.

Disrupts critical thinking by introducing an unexpected element, then reframes in a positive light.

Evaluations of people, objects, or ideas.

Affective component (feel like you don't like it)

Behavioral component (behave like you don't like it)

Cognitive component (think about if you like it)

Attitudes that we continually endorse and easily report

Attitudes that are involuntary, uncontrollable and sometimes unconcious.

Where Attitudes come from:

Genetic Makeup vs. Social experience

Genetic makeup-Inherited temerament and personality traits

Social Experience-Can influence the 3 components of attitude

Based on beliefs about the properties of the attitude object. Focus on relative facts.

feelings and values. Often not logical.

Sensory reactions (taste or smell)

Classical conditioning: formed associations

operant conditioning: reinforcement or punishment

observations of how one behaves towards an attitude object

communication advocating a particular side of an issue. eg. a speech or an ad.

Identifies the conditions under which people are most likely to change their attitudes in responce to persuasive messeges.

When the messesge content itself is important, and when individuals listen and think about the messege.

Messege content and logic is less important

surface and superficial characteristics are important

Exposure to small doses of an argument against your position. Become immune to later, full blown attempts to change your attitude.

When people feel that their freedom is threatened, there in an increased interest in the prohibited behavior.

The more we see and interact with people the more likely thay are to become our friends or significant others.

The more you are exposed to something the more you like it.

Female confederates expressed interest in male participants. They talked about something but the female disagreed with them. The males liked them more, as long as they showed interest.

Male participants were given a female researchers picture and info. They talked over the phone, and because the males thought the researcher was attractive (actually not same female) they were nicer to her.

Weight the outcome of preceived benefits/rewards to the preceived costs of a relationship to determine the outcome of the relationship.

Intense longing and physiological arousal

Intimacy and affection. Often without passion or physiological arousal

(56%)

Caregivers are responsive to infants needs and show positive emotions. As adults, trust. No concern about being abandoned, viewed that you are worthy and well liked.

(25%)

Caregivers are aloof and distant, not emotionally close. As adults, supression of attachment needs, dificulty in developing intimate relationships.

(19%)

Caregivers are inconsistant or overbearing in their affection. As adults, concern that others wont recipricate their desire for intamacy. They are quick to enter relationships and marry sooner. They tend to have many short relationships.