Persuasion is applied in a broad spectrum of situations

Chapter 8 - Social Influence and Persuasion

– Part 1

• Two Types of Social Influence • Techniques of Social Influence • Persuasion • Resisting Persuasion

Social Influence and Persuasion

• James Warren Jones – Jonestown (1978)

• How could Jim Jones have influenced his followers to such a deep level that more than

900 committed revolutionary suicide?

Normative Social Influence

• Normative Influence – Going along with the crowd to be liked

• Asch (1955) study of normative influence – Conformity increases as group size

increases

– Dissension reduces conformity

• Deviating from the group – Social rejection

Informational Social Influence

• Going along with the crowd because you believe the crowd knows more than you do

– Autokinetic effect

– Sherif – Group norm

Two Types of Social Influence

• Informational influence produces private acceptance

– Genuine inner belief that others are right

• Normative influence produces public compliance

– Inner belief that the group is wrong

Techniques of Social Influence

• Foot-in-the-Door Technique – Start with small request to gain eventual

compliance with larger request

• Low-ball Technique – Start with low-cost request and later reveal

the hidden costs

• Both based on principles of commitment and consistency

Techniques of Social Influence

• Bait-and-Switch Technique – Draw people in with an attractive offer that

is not available and then switch to a less

attractive offer that is available

– Based on principle of commitment and

consistency

Techniques of Social Influence

• Labeling Technique – Assigning a label to an individual and then

making a request consistent with that label

– Based on commitment and consistency

• Legitimization-of-Paltry-Favors Technique – Make a small amount of aid acceptable

Techniques Based on Reciprocation

• Door-in-the-Face Technique – Start with an inflated request and then

retreat to a smaller one that appears to be

a concession

– Does not work if the first request is viewed

as unreasonable

– Does not work if requests are made by

different people

Techniques Based on Reciprocation

• That’s-Not-All Technique – Begin with inflated request but immediately

add to the deal by offering a bonus or

discount

Techniques Based on Scarcity

• Rare opportunities are more valuable than plentiful ones

• Scarcity heuristic in decision making • Psychological reactance

– When personal freedoms are threatened,

we experience this unpleasant emotional

response

Techniques Based on Capturing

and Disrupting Attention

• Pique Technique – One captures people’s attention by

making a novel request

• Disrupt-then-Reframe Technique – Introduce an unexpected element that

disrupts critical thinking and then reframe

the message in a positive light