collectivism
a cultural orientation in which interdependence, cooperation, and social harmony take priority over personal goals
compliance
changes in behavior that are elicited by direct requests
conformity
the tendency to change our perceptions, opinions, or behavior
door-in-the-face technique
a two-step compliance technique in which an influencer prefaces the real request with one that is so large that it is rejected
foot-in-the-door technique
a two-step compliance technique in which an influencer sets the stage for the real request by first getting a person to comply with a much smaller request
idiosyncrasy credits
interpersonal “credits” that a person earns by following group norms
individualism
a cultural orientation in which independence, autonomy, and self-reliance take priority over group allegiances
informational influence
influence that produces conformity when a person believes others are correct in their judgments
lowballing
a two-step compliance technique in which the influencer secures agreement with a request but then increases the size of that request by revealing hidden costs
minority influence
the process by which dissenters produce change within a group
normative influence
influence that produces conformity when a person fears the negative social consequences of appearing deviant
obedience
behavior change produced by the commands of authority
private conformity
the change of beliefs that occurs when a person privately accepts the position taken by others
public conformity
a superficial change in overt behavior without a corresponding change of opinion that is produced by real or imagined group pressure
social impact theory
the theory that social influence depends on the strength, immediacy, and number of source persons relative to target persons
that’s-not-all technique
a two-step compliance technique in which the influencer begins with an inflated request, then decreases its apparent size by offering a discount or bonus
social influence
ways that people are affected by the real and imagined pressures of others
automatic imitation examples
- babies mimicking gestures and facial expressions
- subtle mirroring during conversation w/someone
chameleon effect
- automatic imitation
- phenomenon dubbed by Chartrand and Bargh with the idea that chameleons change color according to environment - we often mirror / mimic people
Why does the “chameleon effect” or subtle/automatic imitation occur?
- social function –> being “in sync” w/people allows us to interact more smoothly
social benefits of mimicry
- ppl tend to like you more when you mimic their actions / behavior
- helps ppl fit in - mimic others more when we are highly motivated to be included
when does mimicry backfire?
- when participants interact with others who exhibit negative, antisocial behaviors—say, in their tone of voice—mimicry backfires and causes the participants to be perceived unfavorably
Does mimicry only have a tendency to alter our behavior?
- no, it also alters the way we feel - if we hear a happy voice, we tend to feel happy, if we hear a sad voice, we tend to feel sad
- “mood contagion”
Why do people often not admit to their own conformity?
- people judge others by their overt behavior and the degree to which it matches what others do, but they tend to judge themselves by focusing inward and introspecting about their thought processes, which blinds them to their own conformity
