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?