Social Influences on Behavior

1. !
Social Behavior!
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2. Social Influence
The process by which the actions of an individual or
group affect the behavior of others.
Group: Two or more
people who interact
with one another,
perceive themselves as
part of a group, and are
interdependent.

3. Norms
Groups develop “norms”: expectations regarding what behavior
is appropriate within the group, and what behavior is not.
AmishKids
Punk-rockKids

4. Norms
Groups develop “norms”: expectations regarding what behavior
is appropriate within the group, and what behavior is not.
BaptistPreacher
KKKMembers

5. Norms
Groups develop “norms”: expectations regarding what behavior
is appropriate within the group, and what behavior is not.
MariachiBand
ElvisImpersonators

6. Norms
Groups develop “norms”: expectations regarding what behavior
is appropriate within the group, and what behavior is not.
Prisoners
Cheerleaders

7. Worksheet #1
Answer question in box #1. In general, what
happens when someone does not follow the norms
of a group they are in?
?
?
?
?

8. Worksheet #2
On your worksheet, make a list of groups that you
belong to. (Yes, we all belong to many groups that
each have different behavioral norms!)
Georgi family
Friends from middle/
high school
Friends from
college
KIS Faculty
Period 8 Psych
Period 3 Psych
Period 1 English
Me + Sister

9. Types of Social Pressure
Conformity
A change in behavior or attitudes
brought about by a desire to follow the
beliefs or standards of other people.
Compliance
A type of social influence where an
individual does what someone else
wants them to do, following his or her
request or suggestion.
Obedience
A change in behavior in response to the
commands of others.

10. Conformity
A change in behavior or attitudes brought about by a desire
to follow the beliefs or standards of other people.
If we do not
conform to the
behavior of the
groups we are
in, we may face
rejection,
exclusion, or
loss of
reputation.
What if your friends are having a costume party, but you
decide to go without wearing one?
In school, you are expected
to dress and behave in
certain ways.What
happens when you don’t?

11. Video 1

12. Conformity
Facts about conformity:
• The more attractive a group appears to
its members, the greater its ability to
produce conformity.
• The lower a person’s rank or status is
within a group, the easier it is for the
group to modify that person’s behavior.
• Conformity is more likely in public
situations.
• Fact vs. Opinion: it is easier to create
conformity when asked to give an
opinion on something.
• Groups that are unanimous create the
greatest conformity pressures.

13. Compliance
Behavior that occurs in response to direct social
pressure. A type of social influence where an
individual does what someone else wants them to do,
following his or her request or suggestion.
• Foot-in-the-Door Technique
• Door-in-the-Face Technique
• “That’s Not All” Technique
• Not-so-free Sample Technique
• Low-Ball Technique
• Bait-and-Switch Technique
“door
in the
face”
(Worksheet #3)

14. Obedience
A change in behavior in response to the commands
of others (following orders). Obedience usually only
occurs in special relationships with authority figures
(such as a parent, teacher, or boss).

15. Worksheet #4
We don’t follow the suggestions or
orders of all people equally.
1. What characteristics can you find in the people/groups
that we are most willing to change our behavior for?

16. The Milgram Shock Experiment
In 1963, Yale Psychologist Stanley Milgram created an
experiment to see if participants would follow orders even
when the requested behavior went against their moral
beliefs or good judgment.
Fake Test
Subject
Participant
Experimenter
(Administers
shocks)
(Pretends to
feel pain)
(Urges the
participant to
keep going)
A researcher asks the participant
to administer electric shocks to a
test subject when he answers
questions incorrectly.The test
subject is an actor, who makes
noises of pain when he receives
the shocks.The participant is
made to believe that each shock
is stronger than the last one.

17. The Milgram Shock Experiment
RESULTS: All of Milgram’s original participants continued the
experiment to 300 volts of electricity. 65% of them
administered the maximum voltage of 450, which was clearly
labeled as life-threatening. Milgram concluded that ordinary
people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure,
even to the extent of killing an innocent human being.

18. The Milgram Shock Experiment
The participants claimed that
they administered the shocks
for three main reasons:
1. The authority figure
seemed trustworthy
2. The cause was good
(scientific research)
3. They believed that if
anything bad happened,
the researcher would
take full responsibility.