Influence and Persuasion The Psychology of Social and Individual Behaviour Change

Influence and PersuasionThe Psychology of Social and Individual Behaviour

Change

Social Change: PsychologySocial Change: Psychology

• Psychologists focus on changing an individual’s thinking– broad social change can flow out of this

• 3 methods of social change:– behaviour modification– modelling theory– social persuasion

Behaviour ModificationBehaviour Modification• Process by which behaviour is changed

due to experiences and changes in one’s environment

Ivan Pavlov, 1849-1936

Classical conditioning

B. F. Skinner, 1904-1990

Operant conditioning

Albert Bandura• Bandura concluded that learning

is largely a modeling experience• When humans observe behaviour

– either acceptable or unacceptable – they are more likely to practice it

• Children learn through the experiences of others

• Question - What does this mean to us?

Conditioning in AdvertisingConditioning in Advertising

• Commercials tap into natural emotional responses in the brain– connect product to those reactions

• Different techniques:– music, jingles– sexual images– heart strings– celebrity

A hamburger advertisement!

What factors are being linked or associated?

Another example:

http://www.clubstellaartois.ca/en/legere?x=75&y=26

• Ad campaigns attempt to give the product an “image” or “identity”– animate an inanimate object

Promise to match the product’s identity with

the purchaser’s.

• See all types everyday in society• All shape our behaviour, effect broader

social change

• Above and other tactics used especially by ADVERTISERS!ADVERTISERS!

• Try to shape:– buying patterns– thinking patterns– social trends

• Largely based on the social psychology work of Robert Cialdini– Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion– Influence: Science and Practice

Cialdini outlines 6

“weapons of influence” used by marketers to elicit automatic

responses.

• Cialdini argues we use mental shortcuts– automatic responses, assumptions in given

situations

• usually help us; also make us vulnerable

A few simple examples:• value more expensive = better quality

– e.g. price increase vs. discount

• contrast if the 2nd item in a list

is different from the first, see it

as more different than it is– e.g. clothing sales

Weapon 1: ReciprocationWeapon 1: Reciprocation

• Rooted in the social belief that we should repay in kind what others do for us

e.g. The “kind favour” study– experimenter, subject, confederate– confederate gets subject a Coke– later asks subject to buy raffle ticketssubjects done a favour buy more

and spend more

Common usesCome across this in marketing

– free sample of products– charities that mail out a “gift”

Hard to counter: obligation to the cycle

Redefine: concession or “compliance trick”?

Also used in negotiations and requests:

– e.g. “Happy Days” and TV censors

– e.g. counselling juvenile delinquents?

Weapon 2:Weapon 2:Commitment and ConsistencyCommitment and Consistency

Created by 2 general characteristics:• Inner desire to meet commitments• Dislike appearing inconsistent

Both drive us to become attached to something once we’ve made a commitment to it

– e.g. placing bets– e.g. beach “theft” study– e.g. driver safety sign request

Be a safe

driver DRIVE

CAREFULLY

• Salesperson gets customers to commit– E.g. energy sales and “cooling off” periods

• sales drop as customers change mind• have customers fill out own forms

• Initiation rites– hard to get in = high commitment once in

• e.g. fraternities and sororities, hazing

Common uses

Weapon 3: LikingWeapon 3: Liking

Basic behavioural characteristics:

– more likely to buy from those we like

– like those who are similar to usCommon uses company has people sell product to family,

friends; sell in homes

Supporting studies • “lost” wallet study

• Subjects find a lost wallet (planted)– has money, cheque, ID, note

• Finder is similar to note writer = 70 % return it• Finder is dissimilar to note writer = 33 % return it

Other Common uses• Sales people finding “connections”

Weapon 4: Social ProofWeapon 4: Social Proof

Human behaviour:

“we view a behaviour as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it”

Again, usually a helpful strategy, but makes us vulnerable– e.g. canned laughter effect

Common uses:

• “salting” tip jars

• religious events: have ‘plants’ in

audience come forward

• “largest selling!”; “rated #1”; “fastest growing”; “4 out of 5 dentists…”

• Use of “average people” in ads– relate to them (and product)– effect of similarity

Remember Albert Bandura? Children learn through …

• uses principle to cure children of dog phobia:– child watches other children playing with dogs– works if watching on TV– works better if more children play with dog

• social proof effect!

Weapon 5: AuthorityWeapon 5: Authority

In general, we obey those in authority.e.g. Stanley Milgram study

Also more likely to obey those

we trust.

Common uses:• advertisers portray trustworthy

experts (often actors)– e.g. Sanka ad

• Need to ask if person is really an authority– e.g. street orders study

• Advertisers also try to fake “truthfulness” to boost authority, credibility– “Joslin Insurance is the place you’re going to hate

… less”– “Avis: we’re number 2, but we try harder”– Buckley’s!

“Tastes awful,

but it works!”

Weapon 6: ScarcityWeapon 6: Scarcity

Human thought:

“Opportunities seem more valuable when their availability is limited”e.g. rare coins, sports cards

Supporting study 2 year old and toys

Common uses:• “warnings” in ads

– “supply is limited!”– “call in the next 20 minutes!”– “after, November, they’re gone!”

• Dade County, Florida phosphate detergent ban, 1971– public smuggling– changed attitude towards detergent

with phosphates• “poured better, gentler, better in cold water”

• Real estate: “goosing them off the fence”– tell customers of another “potential buyer”

• Used car salesperson– “double-booking” technique

Your (optional) assignment:Your (optional) assignment:

• Find one ad: print, TV, radio, Internet– bring it in if possible

• Analyze how the ad is working, its techniques– try to incorporate concepts we’ve studied– can include others as well

• Work on your own or with a partner

• DUE DATE: