Social Influence

What is Social Psychology? Some

Definitions
 Social Psychology: Scientific study of how
individuals behave, think, and feel in social
situations; how people act in the presence
(actual or implied) of others
 Culture: Ongoing pattern of life that is passed
from one generation to another
 Personal Space
 Area surrounding the body that is defined as
private and is subject to personal control

Spatial Norms
 Proxemics: Systematic study of human use of
personal space, especially in social settings

Intimate Distance
 Most private space immediately surrounding
the body; 18 inches from the skin. Reserved
for special people or special circumstances
 Personal Distance
 Maintained in interactions with friends. 18
inches to 4 feet from body; arm’s length

Social Distance
 Impersonal interaction takes place; 4 to 12
feet
Public Distance
 Formal interactions take place (like giving a
speech); 12 feet or more
 Self-Handicapping

• Arranging to perform under conditions that

usually impair performance, so as to have
an excuse for a poor showing
– Lisa said, “I took 3 classes while my foot hurt
all semester; that’s why I got a 0.5 average!”
 More Attribution Concepts

• Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to

attribute behavior of others to internal causes
(personality, likes, and so on). We believe this
even if they really have external causes!
• Actor-Observer Bias: Tendency to attribute
behavior of others to internal causes, while
attributing the behavior of ourselves to
external causes (situations and circumstances)
 Affiliation
 Need to Affiliate: Desire to associate with
other people; appears to be a basic human
trait
 Social Comparison: Making judgments about
ourselves by comparing ourselves to others.
E.g. comparing our feelings and abilities to
those of other people
 Downward Comparison: Comparing yourself
with someone who ranks lower than you on
some area (e.g. money, attractiveness)
 Upward Comparison: Comparing ourselves to
someone who ranks higher than we do on
some area; may be used for self-improvement
(something we strive for)
 Interpersonal Attraction

 Social attraction to another person

 Physical Proximity: Physical nearness to
another person in terms of housing, school,
work, and so on
 Physical Attractiveness: Person’s degree of
physical beauty as defined by his or her
culture
 Halo Effect: Tendency to generalize a
favorable impression to unrelated personal
characteristics
Interpersonal Attraction Continued

 Similarity: Extent to which two people are

alike in terms of age, education, attitudes, and
so on
 Similar people are attracted to each other
 Homogamy: Tendency to marry someone
who is like us in almost every way
 Self-Disclosure
• Process of revealing private thoughts,
attitudes, feelings and one’s history to
others
– Should be used cautiously and sparingly when
you are the therapist performing therapy
– May lead to countertransference in therapy

Overdisclosure
 Self-disclosure that exceeds what is
appropriate for a relationship or social
situation
 Attachment
 Secure Attachment: A stable and positive emotional bond
 Avoidant Attachment: Fear of intimacy and a tendency to
resist commitment to others
 Ambivalent Attachment: Mixed emotions about
relationships; conflicting feelings of affection, anger and
emotional turmoil

Social Influence
• Changes in a person’s behavior induced by the presence
or actions of another person
– Someone else influences your decision: husband, wife,
mother, peer, etc.
– Peer pressure: Rudy is swayed by Fanny to go see
“MI3” when he really wanted to see “X-Men 3”
 Conformity
 Bringing one’s behavior into agreement with
norms or the behavior of others

Group Factors in Conformity

 Groupthink: Compulsion by decision makers
to maintain each other’s approval, even at the
cost of critical thinking
 Group Sanctions: Rewards and punishments
administered by groups to enforce conformity
among members
 Power

 Social Power: Capacity to control, alter or

influence the behavior of another person
 Reward Power: Rewarding a person for
complying with desired behavior
 Coercive Power: Based on ability to punish a
person for failure to comply
 More Power Concepts

 Legitimate Power: Accepting a person as an

agent of an established social order
 Referent Power: Respect for, or identification
with, a person or a group
 Expert Power: Based on possession of
knowledge or expertise
 Foot-in-the-Door Effect

• A person who has agreed to a small request

is more likely later to agree to a larger
demand.
– Once you get a foot in the door, then a sale is
almost a sure thing
 Door-in-the-Face Technique

• A person who has refused a major request

will be more likely later on to comply with a
smaller request
– After the door has been slammed in your face
(major request refused), person may be more
likely to agree to a smaller request
 Low-Ball Technique

• Commitment is gained first to reasonable

or desirable terms, which are then made
less reasonable or desirable
– Henry accepts the price he states for a new
car. Then, later, Tillie the saleswoman tells
Henry “How about adding all these options?”,
thus increasing the price
 Assertiveness Training
 Instruction in how to be self-assertive
 Self-Assertion: Standing up for your rights by
speaking out on your own behalf; direct,
honest expression of feelings and desires

Aggression
• Hurting another person or achieving one’s
goals at the expense of another person
– Attempt to get one’s way no matter what
– No regard for other people's feelings
 Broken Record
• Self-assertion technique that involves
repeating a request until it is acknowledged
– Good way to be assertive without being
aggressive