What the exam asks
- Concept application (MCQ & EBQ): Distinguishing between normative and informational social influence, central and peripheral routes to persuasion, foot-in-the-door and door-in-the-face techniques, and conformity versus obedience in real-world scenarios.
- Research analysis (MCQ & AAQ): Identifying variables, interpreting data, and evaluating ethical violations (such as lack of protection from harm, coerced participation, or improper debriefing) in classic and modern social influence studies.
Core ideas
Social norms and types of social influence
Social norms are the understood, often unspoken rules of a group or culture for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe social roles—the specific expectations for how people in a given social position ought to behave.
When we adjust our behavior or thinking to match a group standard, we are demonstrating conformity. Psychologists distinguish two primary reasons people conform:
| Type of Influence | Core Motivation | Typical Scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Normative social influence | To gain social approval or avoid rejection/disapproval. | Laughing at a joke you do not find funny because everyone else at the table is laughing. |
| Informational social influence | To be correct; accepting others’ opinions about reality when a situation is ambiguous or you lack expertise. | Following the crowd toward an exit in an unfamiliar train station when an alarm sounds. |
Persuasion and the elaboration likelihood model
Persuasion is the process by which a message induces change in beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. The elaboration likelihood model (ELM) outlines two cognitive pathways for persuasion:
- Central route to persuasion: Occurs when interested, motivated people focus on the evidence, logic, and strong arguments of a message. It requires high cognitive effort (elaboration) and produces more durable attitude change.
- Peripheral route to persuasion: Occurs when people are unmotivated, distracted, or unable to analyze the details, so they are influenced by incidental cues—such as catchy music, emotional appeals, or a speaker’s attractiveness.
- The halo effect is a prime example of a peripheral cue: our overall positive impression of a person (e.g., a physically attractive or famous athlete) leads us to assume they are also knowledgeable or trustworthy about a product.