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Social Influence Tactics
Constantly bombarded by attempts to influence us…• Newspapers• Magazines• Television• Internet• Radio• Outdoor signs
• Politics and Lobbying• Public relations• Social action
campaigns• Law/courtroom• Friends and peers• Spouse
• Pseudoscience of all types that tries to persuade you to spend money… such as homeopathy, water divining, magnet therapy, etc.
Are we aware of the influence?
• Are we aware when others are trying to influence us?
• Are we aware of how we try to influence others?
The story of Robert Cialdini
• Psychology Professor at Arizona State • Left campus for a three-year project
going undercover to explore first-hand real-world influence techniques
• Wrote famous book – Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion
• Highly paid speaker/consultant
#1 Authority
• Strong pressure within our society for compliance when requested by an authority figure
• Examples… Milgram study, Prison studies
#2 Commitment/Consistency
• People have a desire to look consistent through their words, beliefs, and deeds
• Examples… Foot-in-the-door (small initial request)
Lowballing (you agree to initial offer)
Bait-and-Switch (lower quality replacement)
“Large poorly written sign”
YES
“3inch sign”?
YES
“Large poorly written sign”
NO
#3 Liking
• People prefer to say yes to individuals they know and like. Liking has been associated with physical attractiveness, similarity, and praise
• Examples… “Halo effect” Targeted advertising
#4 Reciprocation
• The tendency to feel obligated to return a favor that they have received from another.
• Examples… Door-in-the-face (initial request unreasonable)
That’s-Not-All (additional benefit)
Foot-in-mouth (relationship)“Will you donate $100”?
NO
“Oh, how about $5”?
YES
#5 Scarcity
• People assign more value to opportunities when they are less available
• Examples… “Limited time offer” “We are running out of the
item”
#6 Social Proof
• Looking to others, particularly role models, is a useful shortcut to determine how to behave
• Examples… Uncertainty (I don’t know what to
do…) Similarity (he/she is like me…)
#7 Emotion
• Emotions can act as motivation to act in a certain way
• Examples… Positive feelings (desire for positive self-
esteem) Guilt (and then provide way of eliminating the guilt)
Fear (and then provide way to prevent scary situation)
Even more influential when add them together….
• “The Secret”
JUST WISHFUL THINKING: Oprah Winfrey's endorsement of "The Secret," a self-help book and DVD that encourages positive thinking, made it an overnight sensation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3qyb9sv28w
Can we resist these influences?
• Authority• Consistency• Liking• Reciprocatio
n• Scarcity• Social Proof• Emotion
Is this person an expert, truthful?Would I react same without initial
commitment?Do I like this product, or the person selling
it?Do I feel a “need” to reciprocate, and why?Would I want this product if not scarce?Is what the others are doing right for me?Would I respond differently without
emotion?
Control
• People find freedom of choice valuable, and uncertainty as threatening
• So, how can we reduce uncertainty?– Illusion of control (imposing control on
randomness)
– Certainty Effect (overvalue of complete risk elimination)
Positive and negative benefits
• Positive Benefits?
• Negative benefits?
• Mind Control and “The Secret”– Helpful or harmful?