Cialdini - Influence Science & Practice

Studies show that authority status affects perceptions of _______.

Size

Describe the impact of competition on organizational behavior:

- Unhealthy competition for a position or reward can cause a rift within a team (hindrance stressor). Limited desire by teammates to exhibit OCBs and decrease morale. - Healthy competition can create increased production (Challenge stressor). Increased OCBs, positive effect of rewards system based on established shared vision.

Describe the impact of new scarcity on organizational behavior:

- When imposing punishments or giving rewards, the principle of new scarcity will affect a team or organization's response. - When combining groups with different resources and freedoms, consolidation of procedures will have an adverse effect that requires affective management

Define the Low-ball technique:

-a tactic for getting people to agree to somethings. -people who agree to an initial request will often still comply when the requester ups the ante. people who receive only the costly request are less likely to comply with it.

What are the 3 "weapons of influence" used by practitioners to influence authority over a group of individuals?

1. Clothing 2. Trappings 3. Titles

What are two key aspects of an authority figure you must consider when on the defense?

1. Credibility 2. Truth-worthiness

List 3 examples of the Halo Effect:

1. Hiring Day Biases (Mack & Rainey, 1990) 2. Payday Biases (Hammermesh & Biddle, 1994) 3. Criminal Justice System (Juries awarded handsome or successful men with significantly lighter sentences).

What are the two questions you must arm yourself with to help determine when not to follow authority directives?

1. Is this person truly an expert? 2. How truthful can we expect the expert to be?

How can leaders use commitment and compliance to improve performance?

1. Leaders can improve employee commitment to causes and initiatives by having the employees take some form of public commitment. 2. Leaders can also use tactics such as "low-ball" technique to get support for initiatives or activities that aren't very popular.

What are the two main optimal conditions present for the Scarcity Principle to exist?

1. New Scarcity - shortage of an item or freedom that was previously in abundance 2. Competition for Scarce Resources: Foolish Fury - threat of another person or organization reducing the abundance of that item or freedom.

Define four key characteristics associated with Social Proof:

1. Perception of Similarity 2. Following the Herd 3. Response to Uncertainty 4. Verification through various sources

What are the 5 factors that influence liking?

1. Physical Attractiveness 2. Similarity 3. Praise 4. Increased familiarity through repeated contact 5. Association

What are the key takeaways from the Regan Study?

1. Rule is Overpowering: Personal feelings towards Joe had no bearing on raffle ticket sales when subjects were given a Coca Cola. 2. Rule Enforces Uninvited Debts: Zero subjects refused the Coca Cola Joe offered them. 3. Rule can Trigger Unequal Exchanges: On Average, Joe received a positive return on investment for raffle ticket sales when subjects were given a Coca Cola. On average, Joe sold two raffle tickets when a soda was given to the subject.

What are the key defenses against social proof?

1. Sabotage - actions of others should not form the sole basis for our decisions. 2. Counterfeit Evidence - decrease our susceptibility to clearly falsified evidence. Monitor your autopilot.

What are the three important findings of Rejection then Retreat?

1. Starting with an extreme demand and then retreating to the more moderate one produced the most money for the person using it. 2. Responsibility - A person who feels responsible for the terms of the contract will be more likely to live up to that contract. 3. Satisfaction - A concession is reached to bring about compliance; thus a person is more likely to feel satisfied with the agreement.

Scarcity power comes from two major sources:

1. Things that are difficult to get are typically better than those that are easy to get 2. As opportunities become less available, we lose freedoms, and we hate to lose freedoms we already have

What feelings does reciprocity generate?

A feeling of indebtedness

Describe the Off to Camp Research Study:

A research program of social scientists focused on intergroup conflict in which the summer camp attendees did not realize they were a part of an experiment. - Separated them into two cabins - Let them assign names to the two groups - Introduced competitive games Results - Cabins were raided & threatening signs were posted - Banners were stolen and burned - Lunchroom fights

Define rejection then retreat:

Also known as the "door-in-the-face" technique How it works: 1. Make a larger request - one that will likely be turned down. 2. After it is refused - make the smaller request you were really interested in Success rate at almost 3:1 over a regular request

Define the Werther Effect:

An extremely morbid effect where publicized suicides tend to inspire more suicides.

Define the Principle of Association:

An innocent association with either bad things or good things will influence how people feel about us. (Lott & Lott, 1965)

Why can written testaments to the public be effective in bringing about genuine change?

Because there arises a drive to maintain looking like a consistent person

Describe the impact of new scarcity on civil unrest:

Civil unrest and revolutions occur must frequently in situations where freedoms were taken away from a particular society.

Describe Pavlov's experiment:

Classical conditioning experiment, making a dog associate the sound of a ringing bell to that of food - making the dog salivate at the sound

___________ is normally associated with personal and intellectual strength. It is the heart of logic, rationality, stability, and honesty.

Consistency

Team-oriented learning tells us about the heavy impact of ___________ on the liking process.

Cooperation

Describe the goal/result of team oriented learning:

Created more friendship and less prejudice

What is the key defense against reciprocity?

Determine the intentions of the person seeking reciprocity. Key strategies: 1. Simply reject the first offer 2. Except the offer for what it fundamentally is, not what it is represented to be. Define the offer as genuine or a trick. Once defined as a trick, give up feeling to respond with a concession of your own. Profit from the gift they used as a trick!

Describe the idea of a "Jigsaw Classroom" and its impact on cooperative learning:

Developed by Elliot Aronson. Grouping students into cooperative teams, giving each student only part of the information-one piece of the puzzle necessary to pass the test. Everyone needs everyone to do well!

Define the Regan Study:

Experiment conducted by psychologist Dennis T. Regan in 1971. Conducted to examine the effects of a favor and of liking on compliance with a request for assistance. Subjects placed in a room with Dr. Regan's assistant "Joe" and are asked to rate several paintings as part of a study. Subjects were given a break halfway through during which Joe did one of the following: 1. Bring back two Coca Colas and give one to the subject as an unsolicited favor. 2. Come back from the break with nothing. After rating more paintings, Joe would ask the subject to buy raffle tickets to help him win a $50 prize. At the end of the experiment, subjects were given a survey to see how much they liked Joe. Joe was more successful in selling tickets to subjects that he had given a Coca Cola. Twice as many raffle tickets were sold compared to subjects that did not receive the favor.

Describe Milgram's Shock Experiment:

He told someone that they were shocking another person in another room (even though there was no one being shocked) and tested to see how obedient they were to an authority figure who told them to keep shocking that person (obedience study)

Describe Razran's Luncheon Technique:

In 1938, psychologist Gregory Razran found that his subjects developed a more favorable view of the people and things they experienced while they were eating - a result Razran coined as the "luncheon technique."

___________ is commonly thought to be an undesirable personality trait, and can come across as confused, two-faced, and even mentally ill.

Inconsistency

Describe how Psychological reactance ties into Hoosiers:

Jimmy Chitwood is idolized by the entire town of Hickory, simply because there is a scarce number of star basketball players in the town. Limited numbers in Hickory influence the thoughts and actions of the town towards Coach Dale. Coach Dale acts as a symbol of interference which establishes freedoms in the town. This interference causes the town to react in defiance against this presumed limitation.

Define Scarcity:

Limited availability of a resource which results in assigning more value to opportunities and products that are less available.

Describe a limited selection in the real world example: The Donut Experiment

Limited donuts were "plain" while frosted donuts were in abundance. Donuts that were "plain" but least available were selected first.

What is the relationship between commitment and self-improvement?

Making an effective commitment can help you achieve your goals. Effective commitments are public, active, effortful, and freely chosen.

Describe the halo effect:

Occurs when one (or more) positive characteristics dominate the way that individual is perceived by others. I.e Clothing, Height, Salary, Hair Style, etc.

What was the solution to resolving hostility between the two groups in the Off to Camp Research Study?

Offer a common goal or shared vision. When success resulted from a shared goal, it became more and more difficult for the campers to maintain hostility towards boys from the other team.

Define Courtroom Reactance:

One courtroom practice is to introduce a piece of evidence that will surely be ruled inadmissible. This evidence is now an interference that the jurors feel they need to react against.

What is the contrast principle?

Our judgements of things are often biased by similar things we have seen immediately before.

Dr. Robert Caildini's famous work on persuasion called out the psychological phenomenon of social proof as a _________________ .

Particularly effective marketing tactic

Describe the "Deadline" tactic:

Tactic where an official time limit is placed on the customer's opportunity to get what the company is offering. Keeps the prospects from taking the time to think the deal over by scaring them into believing they can't have it later which makes them want it now.

Describe the defense against liking:

Reduce unwanted influence of liking by stepping back from the situation, separating the person from the offer, and make decisions based on the merits of the offer.

What is one protective tactic we can use to defend against authority status?

Remove the element of surprise - the trick is being able to recognize when authority directives are best followed and when they should be challenged.

Describe the impact of the "contact" approach on liking:

Research shows that becoming familiar with something through repeated contact doesn't necessarily cause greater liking (Gaertner et al., 1999)

Why are scarcity tactics effective?

Scarcity tactics are effective because they evoke an emotional reaction that suppresses logical analysis of the situation.

People are more likely to be compliant with or like someone more if they sense ____________ between the two parties.

Similarities

How to defend against commitment compliance tactics:

Stomach Signs - response to realizing one is being taken advantage of. "Listening to your gut" Heart-of-hearts - In response to questions "knowing what I know now, would I make the same decision?" Pay attention to the split second emotional response before the response can be intellectualized.

Describe the Tupperware Party:

The Tupperware Home Parties of the 1950s and 1960s were the only way to purchase a line of polyethylene plastic storage containers that were the brainchild of Earl Tupper. Compelling representative is a hostess and a friend - smiling, chatting, and serving refreshments. The attraction, the warmth, the security, and the obligation of friendship are brought to bear on the sales setting. The strength of the social bond is twice as likely to determine product purchase as is preference for the product itself. (Frenzen & Davis 1990)

What is a common perception associated with authority?

The common perception is that following the rules set by the authority leads to reward, structure, and social control that otherwise will not be possible.

What is the relationship between commitment and effort?

The more effort one puts into a commitment, the greater the ability that effort has to influence the attitudes of the person who made it. i.e Initiation or Hazing Ceremonies, UF OEM Program vs UCF MEM Program

Describe the impact of scarcity on censorship:

The natural human reaction to banned content is to show increased favorability towards it. Exclusive information becomes persuasive information.

What is the principle of Social Proof?

The principle states that we determine what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct. The principle applies especially to the way we decide what constitutes correct behavior.

Why is reciprocity so powerful in our society?

The rule for reciprocity can be used as a device to gain compliance. Proven through the Regan Study, the rule for reciprocity overwhelms the influence of other factors (such as liking!) Example: The "not-so-free" sample from the grocery store

What is the rule for reciprocity and when is it initiated?

The rule says we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. The rule is initiated when we acknowledge that someone has done us a favor or presented us with gift. by virtue we now have an obligation to respond in kind.

Define the bystander effect:

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present because personal responsibility is reduced as the number of people increases. The bystanders are more likely to help when they are certain what they are witnessing is an emergency.

Define pluralistic ignorance:

The tendency for everyone to be looking to see what everyone else is doing.

Describe the Romeo and Juliet Effect:

There is a clear direct relationship between parental interference and the intensity of love shared between young couples.

What are the Bystander Apathy Studies?

These studies tested how likely random people are to respond and help a staged emergency.

Describe scarcity in practice of the Cherrington, Reitz, & Scott study:

This study tested the proposal that there is no inherent relationship between satisfaction and productivity, and that relationships between the 2 variables are highly dependent upon performance-reward contingencies. Contingency is scarcity used to influence performance

Describe the Compliments Study:

Three individuals gave comments to a group of men of who they needed a favor from. - Individual 1 gave only positive comments - Individual 2 gave only negative comments - Individual 3 gave a mixture of positive and negative Findings: - Individual 1 was most liked by the group - Individual 1 was still most liked even when the men knew the individuals stood to gain something from them. - Pure praise did not have to be accurate to work

Define the phenomena called growing legs to stand on:

To be consistent with an earlier decision to commit, people will begin to generate new reasons to justify their decision.

How do scammers use scarcity as a "weapon of influence"

To trigger impulse reactions! Limited numbers creates a reaction of increased desire. Limited time creates a reaction of increased urgency and impulsivity. Reactions influence decisions and decisions influence our life's trajectory.

What is the relationship between social proof and uncertainty?

Uncertainty develops through lack of familiarity. To avoid uncertainty, leaders can clear up ambiguity and set the example (Taking advantage of social proof).

Describe the key defense against the scarcity tactics:

Use the emotional rush as a sign to stop and think about the situation. Were you truly interested in this product prior to now? Why do you want it?

Disadvantages to Rejection - then - Retreat:

Victims of the strategy may resent being "cornered into compliance". Resentment could should in a few ways: 1. Victim might not live up to the verbal agreement made with the requester. 2. Victim could begin to distrust the manipulative requestor

Describe the relationship between the compliments study and the consistency principle:

We have such an automatically positive reaction to compliments that we can fall victim to someone who uses them in an obvious attempt to win our favor. We want to remain consistent with our reputation.

Define the rule of liking:

We prefer to say yes to the requests of people we know and like.

Describe the impact of social proof on leadership practices:

We should use the shared values and the power of similarity in social proof to inspire leadership within our organizations

What is the relationship between commitment and self-image?

We want to stay consistent with that internal image. This internal image can change when someone makes a commitment to uphold a certain image or role. Once someone commits to a certain role, they may feel they have a reputation to uphold.

Describe the impact of scarcity on competition:

When a limited resource is being considered by multiple applicants/buyers, those individuals experience increased motivation to obtain the resources. The value increases, despite the quality of the item remaining the same before and after the reduction. Foolish Fury*

Define Automatic Obedience:

When an individual obeys all orders, commands, and instructions from another person without question or concern.

How can consistency affect public image?

When one takes a stand that is visible to others, there arises a drive to look consistent. Future statements will likely reflect the first one. If one's belief or stances changes, there may be a desire to deny previous actions that do not reflect their current position.

Describe the impact of scarcity on organizational behavior:

When opportunities in an organization are scarce, employees are more likely to withhold information information from each-other in a distrustful environment.

Define the Foolish Fortress:

Where we hide within the walls of consistency when faced with information that challenges our earlier assumptions. There are certain disturbing things we simply would rather not realize.

Define the Foot-in-the-door technique:

a compliance technique in which an initial small request is accepted followed by a larger request

Define Psychological Reactance:

an unpleasant motivational arousal (reaction) to offers, persons, rules, or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. Reactance occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away their choices or limiting the range of alternatives.

Scarcity Principle has notable power in directing _______________.

human action

Explain how similarity works:

it is the conduct of such people (those similar to us) that gives us the greatest insight into what constitutes correct behavior for ourselves. We are more inclined to follow the lead of someone who is similar to us rather than dissimilar.