social influence

• Social influence


  How others – groups and individuals – can influence our behaviour
• We often believe that we are responsible for our own actions and make our own decisions, but a lot of the time other people can impact and influence us
• It is very important to understand how others impact our behaviour, because then we can encourage good behaviour and prevent bad behaviour such as rioting and bullying
• Bystander intervention


  When we help others in need
• Bystander effect/apathy


  When we fail to help someone in need
• Bystander behaviour was investigated following the case of Kitty Genovese's murder in New York in 1964
• Factors affecting whether we help or not


  • Situational factors
  • Personality factors
• Diffusion of responsibility


  We feel less personally responsible when there are more people around to potentially help. If we are in a crowd when an emergency happens, the larger the crowd the less likely we are to help. We assume others will help and we diffuse our responsibility onto them.
• Noticing the event


  We are less likely to notice events in a large crowd compared to when we are on our own
• Pluralistic ignorance


  When in situations, we often look to others and react based on what other people are doing. We look to others to help us interpret the situation. If no one is helping, we assume the event is not an emergency. If other people are helping, we are likely to offer assistance as well.
• Cost of helping


  The higher the costs, the less likely we are to help. Costs can include time, effort, danger. We will help if the costs to the victim are higher than the costs to ourselves – however this is often to avoid guilt.
• Competence


  If we feel competent (able) enough then we will help. How able we feel affects the type of help we give.
• Mood


  We are more likely to help if we are in a good mood than in a bad mood.
• Similarity


  The more we see ourselves as similar to a victim then the more likely we are to help them.
• Psychological research indicates that although some personality factors can influence whether or not we help, bystander intervention is largely influenced by situational factors.
• Piliavin et al (1969): Good Samaritanism: An Underground Phenomenon?

  Aim: to investigate helping behaviour in a natural environment, and understand the conditions in which people are more likely to help
• Piliavin et al procedure


  1. New York Subway (field experiment)

  2. Approx 4500 passengers

  3. Between 11am and 3pm

  4. 4 groups of 4 students used

  5. Covert observation
• 81 out of 103 trials, the victim was helped before the model planned to help
• In 60% of the trials, more than one person helped
• 90% of first helpers were male
• 64% of first helpers were white
• 68% of helpers who aided the white victim were also white
• 50% of white passengers came to the aid of a black victim
• There was a tendency for same race helping if the victim appeared drunk
• Interestingly, no diffusion of responsibility was found. The speed in which people helped was greater when there was more people than when there was less
• Conclusions of Piliavin et al


  • We are more likely to help an ill victim than a drunk victim
  • Men are first helpers more than females
  • People offer more help in bigger groups
  • Diffusion of responsibility does not always happen
• Conformity


  The tendency to change what we do, think or say in response to the influence of real or imagined pressure from others
• Normative Social Influence


  This occurs when we wish to be liked by the majority group, so we go along with them even though we may not agree with them. This is really just following the crowd in order to fit in with the 'norm' and be liked by the group.
• Informational Social Influence


  This occurs when we look to the majority group for information as we are unsure about the way in which to behave. A person will conform because they genuinely believe the majority to be right as we look to them for the right answer.
• Deindividuation


  Loss of personal self-awareness and responsibility as a result of being part of a group.
• Factors affecting conformity


  • Locus of Control
  • Age
• Internal Locus of Control


  Belief that we are in control of our behaviour
• External Locus of Control


  Belief that something else controls our behaviour (fate/religion)
• Adolescents are more likely to conform than older people (Steinberg and Monahan, 2007)
• Factors that make someone more likely to conform


  • Bigger group
  • Everyone agrees
  • Task is easy
• Obedience


  Following orders from a higher authority
• Blind Obedience


  Following orders of an authority figure without question
• Milgram (1963) investigated obedience
• Factors affecting obedience


  • Situational factors
  • Personality factors
• Situational factors


  Things like your environment or the people around you who might make you more or less obedient