Social Influence [WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4] [CLOs: 1, ,2, 3, 5]
To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 8: Conformity and Obedience and Chapter 9: Groups of your textbook and the Milestones in the Psychological Analysis of Social Influence and One Hundred Years of Group Research: Introduction to the Special Issue articles. In addition, watch Prudential: Everybody’s Doing It (Links to an external site.)
In this discussion, you will consider social behavior and the various normative and informational social influences you encounter in your everyday life, including the impact of groups on individual thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Complete the following:
- Appraise your behavior for a period of 24 hours.
- Identify at least 10 behaviors in which you engage that are due to conformity or obedience. Strive to identify less obvious examples that will allow for greater insight and a more interesting discussion. For example, how do you greet people or respond to messages? Which rules or social norms do you break, and which do you follow?
- Discuss the situational factors that impact your beliefs and behaviors.
- Describe potential social and cultural influences.
- Analyze five of your logged behaviors, determining whether they are due to normative or informational influence and whether group pressures apply.
- Then, select one of the following options below:
- Choose one mundane behavior from your log that is based on a social norm. Violate this norm. Be sure you are not breaking any rules or laws or putting yourself at risk in any way. Here is a link to Examples of Norm Violations (Links to an external site.), but feel free to come up with your own (or Google search for additional ideas. Or,
- Spend 24 hours living “a day of nonconformity,” living each minute as uninfluenced as possible (without infringing on the rights of others). Strive to be your true, unfettered self.
- Examine your social influence log and your experience living a day of nonconformity or violating a social norm. Include the following in your summary:
- To what extent is your everyday behavior shaped by social influence? Why or why not?
- How do people react when you do not conform/obey?
- What factors influence people to follow? (e.g., leaders, groups, etc.)
- Is conformity a good thing, or a bad thing? Explain your point of view.
- How do social and/or cultural differences play a role in social influence?
To fully demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking, your Social Influence discussion must
- Interpret course concepts explicitly, applying them to your personal experiences/observations, and cite the required readings as appropriate.
- Be thorough and specific, structuring your work intentionally (with an introductory and concluding sentence or two), providing clear context, and concisely and precisely explaining relevant course concepts.
- Use personal examples to illustrate as appropriate, but do be sure to provide an objective analysis too, referencing required materials and using additional sources as needed to support your insight.
- Use your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
- Review APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) for more information.
- Your original post should be a minimum of 300 words.
Required Resources
Text
Feenstra, J. (2013). Social psychology. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
- Chapter 7: Persuasion
- Chapter 8: Conformity and Obedience
- Chapter 9: Groups
Articles
Cialdini, R. B. (2014). Harnessing the science of persuasion. ASCA Newsletter, Edition 6, 26–35. Retrieved from https://www.ebsco.com/
- The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database through the Ashford University Library. This article identifies fundamental principles of persuasion. This resource will assist you in your the Art and Science of Persuasion assignment this week.
Crano, W. D. (2000). Milestones in the psychological analysis of social influence. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(1), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.68
- The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database through the Ashford University Library. This article discusses social influence. This resource will assist you in your Social Influence discussion forum this week.
Forsyth, D. R. (2000). One hundred years of groups research: Introduction to the special issue. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.3
- The full-text version of this article can be retrieved from the EBSCOhost database through the Ashford University Library. This article surveys major developments in group research over the past century. This resource will assist you in your Social Influence discussion forum this week.
Multimedia
Prudential. (2013, May 13). Prudential: Everybody’s doing it (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BgRoiTWkBHU
- This humorous video clip illustrates the power of the situation to shape behavior. This resource will assist you in your Social Influence discussion forum this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript.
Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.)