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Influence and PersuasionThe Psychology of Social and Individual Behaviour
Change
Social Change: PsychologySocial Change: Psychology
• Psychologists focus on changing an individual’s thinking– broad social change can flow out of this
• 3 methods of social change:– behaviour modification– modelling theory– social persuasion
Behaviour ModificationBehaviour Modification• Process by which behaviour is changed
due to experiences and changes in one’s environment
Ivan Pavlov, 1849-1936
Classical conditioning
B. F. Skinner, 1904-1990
Operant conditioning
Albert Bandura• Bandura concluded that learning
is largely a modeling experience• When humans observe behaviour
– either acceptable or unacceptable – they are more likely to practice it
• Children learn through the experiences of others
• Question - What does this mean to us?
Conditioning in AdvertisingConditioning in Advertising
• Commercials tap into natural emotional responses in the brain– connect product to those reactions
• Different techniques:– music, jingles– sexual images– heart strings– celebrity
A hamburger advertisement!
What factors are being linked or associated?
Another example:
http://www.clubstellaartois.ca/en/legere?x=75&y=26
• Ad campaigns attempt to give the product an “image” or “identity”– animate an inanimate object
Promise to match the product’s identity with
the purchaser’s.
• See all types everyday in society• All shape our behaviour, effect broader
social change
• Above and other tactics used especially by ADVERTISERS!ADVERTISERS!
• Try to shape:– buying patterns– thinking patterns– social trends
• Largely based on the social psychology work of Robert Cialdini– Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion– Influence: Science and Practice
Cialdini outlines 6
“weapons of influence” used by marketers to elicit automatic
responses.
• Cialdini argues we use mental shortcuts– automatic responses, assumptions in given
situations
• usually help us; also make us vulnerable
A few simple examples:• value more expensive = better quality
– e.g. price increase vs. discount
• contrast if the 2nd item in a list
is different from the first, see it
as more different than it is– e.g. clothing sales
Weapon 1: ReciprocationWeapon 1: Reciprocation
• Rooted in the social belief that we should repay in kind what others do for us
e.g. The “kind favour” study– experimenter, subject, confederate– confederate gets subject a Coke– later asks subject to buy raffle ticketssubjects done a favour buy more
and spend more
Common usesCome across this in marketing
– free sample of products– charities that mail out a “gift”
Hard to counter: obligation to the cycle
Redefine: concession or “compliance trick”?
Also used in negotiations and requests:
– e.g. “Happy Days” and TV censors
– e.g. counselling juvenile delinquents?
Weapon 2:Weapon 2:Commitment and ConsistencyCommitment and Consistency
Created by 2 general characteristics:• Inner desire to meet commitments• Dislike appearing inconsistent
Both drive us to become attached to something once we’ve made a commitment to it
– e.g. placing bets– e.g. beach “theft” study– e.g. driver safety sign request
Be a safe
driver DRIVE
CAREFULLY
• Salesperson gets customers to commit– E.g. energy sales and “cooling off” periods
• sales drop as customers change mind• have customers fill out own forms
• Initiation rites– hard to get in = high commitment once in
• e.g. fraternities and sororities, hazing
Common uses
Weapon 3: LikingWeapon 3: Liking
Basic behavioural characteristics:
– more likely to buy from those we like
– like those who are similar to usCommon uses company has people sell product to family,
friends; sell in homes
Supporting studies • “lost” wallet study
• Subjects find a lost wallet (planted)– has money, cheque, ID, note
• Finder is similar to note writer = 70 % return it• Finder is dissimilar to note writer = 33 % return it
Other Common uses• Sales people finding “connections”
Weapon 4: Social ProofWeapon 4: Social Proof
Human behaviour:
“we view a behaviour as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it”
Again, usually a helpful strategy, but makes us vulnerable– e.g. canned laughter effect
Common uses:
• “salting” tip jars
• religious events: have ‘plants’ in
audience come forward
• “largest selling!”; “rated #1”; “fastest growing”; “4 out of 5 dentists…”
• Use of “average people” in ads– relate to them (and product)– effect of similarity
Remember Albert Bandura? Children learn through …
• uses principle to cure children of dog phobia:– child watches other children playing with dogs– works if watching on TV– works better if more children play with dog
• social proof effect!
Weapon 5: AuthorityWeapon 5: Authority
In general, we obey those in authority.e.g. Stanley Milgram study
Also more likely to obey those
we trust.
Common uses:• advertisers portray trustworthy
experts (often actors)– e.g. Sanka ad
• Need to ask if person is really an authority– e.g. street orders study
• Advertisers also try to fake “truthfulness” to boost authority, credibility– “Joslin Insurance is the place you’re going to hate
… less”– “Avis: we’re number 2, but we try harder”– Buckley’s!
“Tastes awful,
but it works!”
Weapon 6: ScarcityWeapon 6: Scarcity
Human thought:
“Opportunities seem more valuable when their availability is limited”e.g. rare coins, sports cards
Supporting study 2 year old and toys
Common uses:• “warnings” in ads
– “supply is limited!”– “call in the next 20 minutes!”– “after, November, they’re gone!”
• Dade County, Florida phosphate detergent ban, 1971– public smuggling– changed attitude towards detergent
with phosphates• “poured better, gentler, better in cold water”
• Real estate: “goosing them off the fence”– tell customers of another “potential buyer”
• Used car salesperson– “double-booking” technique
Your (optional) assignment:Your (optional) assignment:
• Find one ad: print, TV, radio, Internet– bring it in if possible
• Analyze how the ad is working, its techniques– try to incorporate concepts we’ve studied– can include others as well
• Work on your own or with a partner
• DUE DATE: