Final Paper (50 pts.

& 20% of your grade)

You have the option of either writing a paper applying social influence research to your own
life or creating a research proposal as outlined below, either of which should be 6-7 pages and is
due on November 24th at 5 pm. It should be submitted via Turnitin.com (through CCLE).
Options:
1. Application Paper: Identify a situation or problem that you are currently having where
someone (usually another individual, but possibly a group) is not doing what you want them to
do. Your goal is to use at least 3 concepts from the readings to identify a way for you to exercise
influence and change the situation.
OR:
2. Research Proposal. This proposal should resemble one you would do for an independent
research project. It will involve reviewing the literature on a topic of your choice, and coming up
with an idea concerning that topic that you could test. In other words, your research proposal
should represent an integration of the research and literature on a topic, with the goal of this
integration providing a new “spin” on the topic. It will include an introduction, a method section,
and a short conclusions/discussion section (using APA format). It should include two independent
variables with at least one of that is manipulated. This means your paper should sound and look
like the writing that is found in psychological journal articles. See the research proposal document
on CCLE for more details.
Application Paper Guidelines:
Draw on a current situation in which you would like to be able to influence outcomes. Then, use your
chosen concepts to imagine something practical and immediate that you can do to exercise influence.
Next, either try it and report results, or role play your actions with a friend and discuss the results of
the role play. Finally, analyze the social influence concepts/theories that you used, drawing on
thinking stimulated by the exercise you designed and carried out.

Your paper should contain the following sections:

1. Introduction
Highlight the paper’s focus and purpose. Then describe:
• The situation or problem on which you will focus: What is going on, who is involved, what is
bothering you about the situation, and what do you wish was different and better? Describe the
situation in a concrete but concise manner.
• The three influence concepts you will use: What concepts from the course readings are you going
to use? Don’t just refer to the concepts, e.g., “Appeal to authority.” Explain the concepts in your
own words. If you want to give an example, do not use examples from class or the readings. Draw
on examples from your own experience or reading.
• Why does this influence concept seem applicable here? Take your time “unpacking” the elements
of the problem you have described and showing the reader how they link to the course concepts.

2. The Exercise
Try to exercise influence in real life. Do this in an ethical way. If you cannot try it out in reality (or
ethically), get a friend to help you role-play the situation. Write out for your friend a brief description
of their role, and then act out what you plan to do one step at a time and have them react as if they are
in their role. A role-play is not imaginary; it is a planned and possibly somewhat scripted dialogue. In
either case, describe what happened.
• How is this based on the concepts from the readings i.e., why do you expect that it will work?
 • Outline what effect you intend to have and what indicators you will use to determine whether
you exerted influence.

3. Analysis
• Did your attempt work? Did it produce the expected results? If not, what went wrong?
• Did the party you were trying to influence invoke the defense mechanisms discussed by
Cialdini or other defense mechanisms? How did or could you have neutralized these
defensive actions?
• If applicable, explain how other influence tactics may have been useful or have come into
play.
• In your discussion, also critically analyze Cialdini’s (and others’) ideas about influence in
personal situations. Are these concepts applicable, ethical, and useful? How did you have to
modify or adapt them? In which cultures, situations, or groups would they be more or less
practical?

4. Conclusion
• Draw some conclusions regarding what you have learned about influence. You may wish to
very briefly summarize your exercise and expectations, but spend most of your conclusion on
what you’ve learned (which may include new questions you have!)

Format
• A cover page, providing the student’s name, the date, and a descriptive title
• Pages are numbered (except the title page, which is not counted!)
• The paper is double-spaced, 12-point type in a standard style such as Times Roman, with
1-inch margins top and bottom and 1-1/4-inch margins left and right
• Stay within the 7 page limit, not including the cover page or reference page.
• APA style is used to cite sources within text and for your list of References at the end