Human Relations The Art and Science

of Building Effective Relationships 2nd

Edition McCann Solutions Manual
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Chapter 6: Social Influence in Our Relations With Others

Chapter Overview

This chapter explores the principles of social influence, examining the processes by which
situational forces can override our individual motivations and intentions. There are three steps on
this ladder of social influence: conformity, compliance, and obedience. Together, they exert
tremendous power, referred to as the power of the situation.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the benefits and limitations of conformity

• Describe the motives that promote conformity
• Explain how situational factors effect conformity levels
• Explain how the basic principles of compliance influence our relations with others
• Explain how the principle of reciprocity influences behavior
• Describe how the principle of commitment affects behavior
• Summarize how the principle of social proof influences behavior
• Explain the principle of ‘liking’
• Describe how the principle of authority effects behavior
• Explain how the principle of scarcity influences our behavior
• Describe how culture influences the principles of compliance
• Distinguish the differences between obedience, conformity, and compliance
• Explain the Milgram Experiment’s relevance on social influence
• Explain the importance of the fundamental attribution error on social influence
• Summarize the situational factors that generally influence the degree of obedience
• Examine the effects of gender and culture on obedience
• Explain how social influence affected the Stanford Prison Experiment

Key Terms and Concepts

Stanford Prison Experiment Principle of liking

Conformity Principle of authority
Normative social influence Principle of scarcity
Informational social influence Theory of psychological reactance
Compliance Obedience
Principle of reciprocity Milgram Experiment
Consensus

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Chapter Outline

I. Overview
A. Zimbardo’s classic study was conducted to determine the psychological
influences of prison life on inmates and guards.
1. STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT is a classic study of social
influence on behavior and perception.
II. Conformity
A. CONFORMITY is a voluntary change in a belief or behavior with the intent to
follow a perceived social norm. Social norms are rules about the appropriate way
to think or behave in a culture or subculture.
B. Preview Questions
1. Why do people conform?
2. In what situations are people more likely to conform?
3. How does conformity improve human relations? How does it hinder
good human relations?
C. What Basic Motives Underpin Conformity?
1. NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCES occur when we conform in
order to “fit in” a certain group. It affects people in cultures all around
the world.
2. INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCES occur when conformity
helps us make the right decision in a situation where we aren’t sure what
to do.
D. Critical Thinking Question: Apply these motives for conformity to your
relationships, either at work, at school, or interpersonally. Which type
(informational or normative) tends to influence you the most? Does it vary from
situation to situation?
E. What Situational Conditions Influence Conformity?
1. Several factors influence the likelihood of conformity: ambiguity of the
situation, group size, and culture.
2. See Figure 6.3: Ambiguity and Conformity for examples of tests of
conformity.
III. Compliance
A. Preview Questions
1. How is compliance different from conformity?
2. What are the six basic principles of compliance, and how does each one
influence our relations with others?
3. Which principle(s) of compliance is often found in unhealthy
relationships?
4. Which principle(s) of compliance has interfered most with the
effectiveness of your own human relations? How can it be overcome?
B. Basic Principles of Compliance
1. COMPLIANCE is agreeing to a specific request. It differs from
conformity because it is a voluntary behavior.

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 2. The six basic principles of compliance: reciprocity, commitment, social
proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.
a. PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCITY is the belief that it is
important to reciprocate, or “pay back,” favors.
1) Evolutionary psychology suggests the strong obligation to
reciprocate is a type of social exchange. People who take
without giving = moochers; people who give without
accepting anything in return are also disliked.
2) Honest reciprocation of good actions can strengthen a
relationship.
b. PRINCIPLE OF COMMITMENT is a small initial commitment
to a person or idea that increases the likelihood that we will make a
more significant commitment later.
1) Human preference for consistency is at the heart of the
principle of commitment.
2) The powerful result of an initial commitment is known as
the “foot-in-the-door” technique. This suggests once a
small commitment is made to someone or something, the
need for consistency motivates allegiance to that
commitment.
3) Unhealthy Relationships and the Principle of Commitment
4) Critical Thinking Question: Consider ways in which you
have used the principle of commitment to influence others
to comply with your wishes. Did you use this principle
intentionally or unintentionally?
5) Overcoming the effects of the principles of commitment
i. Cialdini suggests two aids in overcoming this
principle, including uncomfortable physiological
reactions and asking if the action would be
repeated.
c. PRINCIPLE OF SOCIAL PROOF refers to going along with a
belief or behavior because it looks like many others are doing the
same thing.
1) Research indicates social proof to be most effective under
two conditions: when people are unsure and when people
see similarity in people or behaviors.
2) Peer pressure is a significant form of social proof.
d. PRINCIPLE OF LIKING is agreeing to do something because
the person making the request is likable.
1) Critical Thinking Questions: Other principles of
compliance play a role in these parties. Can you identify
them and explain how they work in this type of party?
2) Why liking works

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 i. Several factors influence people to like someone
else, including physical attractiveness, similarity,
provider of praise, and association.
e. PRINCIPLE OF AUTHORITY suggests we are more likely to
agree to a request made by an authority figure.
1) Critical Thinking Question: Can you name at least one
situation in which you’ve gone along with something
because the request came from an authority figure?
f. PRINCIPLE OF SCARCITY suggests that people or products
seem more important when their availability seems limited.
g. See Table 6.1: Principles of Compliance for a detailed chart of
principles, descriptions, and examples.
3. See Activity 6.2: Compliance Principles at the Mall and Activity 6.3:
Principles of Compliance in Personal Relationships and the
Workplace—A Personal Essay to identify the various principles at work
in public and private settings.
IV. Obedience
A. Preview Questions
1. How is obedience different from conformity and compliance?
2. What did the Milgram experiment teach us about obedience?
3. What situational factors affect obedience to authority?
4. How do these lessons help us improve our relations with others?
B. What Is Obedience?
1. OBEDIENCE is agreeing to a request from an authority figure when
there is a negative consequence for refusal. It is the strongest of all
social influences.
C. The Milgram Experiment
1. MILGRAM EXPERIMENT was a classic study of obedience to
authority.
2. Milgram attempted to demonstrate that Americans would never obey
authority if it meant hurting an innocent person. It was designed to see
how normal middle-class white men would act when asked by an
authority figure to harm another person.
3. What happened in the study?
D. What Are the Situational Factors in Obedience Situations?
1. Proximity to the victim may add psychological distance.
2. Proximity of the experimenter influenced obedience.
3. Working with other(s) influenced outcome obedience levels.
E. Gender and Culture in Obedience
1. Research findings indicate that obedience levels in women and people
from other cultures were similar.
2. People in collectivistic cultures tended to be influenced by others more
than did people in individualistic cultures.

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 3. See Activity 6.4: Essay: Personal Experiences with Power and
Powerlessness to explore the link between personal experiences and
information in this chapter.
V. Reflections on the Stanford Prison Experiment
A. Each type of social influence played a role in the events of the Stanford Prison
Experiment.
B. Can you identify each of these?

Preview Questions

Conformity
1. Why do people conform?
2. In what situations are people more likely to conform?
3. How does conformity improve human relations? How does it hinder human relations?

Compliance
1. How is compliance different from conformity?
2. What are the six basic principles of compliance, and how does each one influence our
relations with others?
3. What principle(s) of compliance is often found in unhealthy relationships?
4. Which principle(s) of compliance has interfered most with the effectiveness of your
own human relations? How can it be overcome?

Obedience
1. How is obedience different from conformity and compliance?
2. What did the Milgram experiment teach us about obedience?
3. What situational factors affect obedience to authority?
4. How do these lessons help us to improve our relations with others?

Critical Thinking QUESTIONS

Motives for Conformity

1. Apply these motives for conformity to your relationships, either at work, at school, or
interpersonally.
2. Which type (informational or normative) tends to influence you the most?
3. Does it vary from situation to situation?

Compliance
1. In what situations has the principle of reciprocity influenced you to go along with
something?
2. Were you glad you complied, or did you have mixed feelings about it?
3. Other principles of compliance play a role in these parties, too. Can you identify them
and explain how they work in this type of party?

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 4. Can you name at least one situation in which you’ve gone along with someone
because a request came from an authority figure?

Class Activities

Checking Your Consensus Conflicts

To become an effective member in a consensus building process, ask students to briefly reflect
on how each of the following contribute to or detract from their ability to engage in effective
consensus building. Examples should be used to support their responses.
• Personal assets and liabilities brought to consensus building processes.
• Personality style.
• Personal “hot buttons” under pressure.
• Physical reactions when stressed.
• General emotional well-being.
After reflecting on the above, students should develop strategy statements for effectively dealing
with behaviors that inhibit their ability to be constructive members of a consensus building team.
Explain to students that their statements will not be collected, but rather should be used as a self-
help resource.

Bullying Bibliography
Evidence supporting the negative impact of bullying is clear. Bullying can create short- and
long-term problems for children and adolescents. It is logical to assume that understanding a
phenomenon that interferes with the development of healthy human relationship-building skills
early in development is a useful endeavor.

The purpose of this exercise is to help students explore the nature, prevalence, cause, treatment,
and prevention of bullying through the development of a class bibliography on bullying.

Begin the project by asking students to free associate or brainstorm about bullying. This can be
conducted with the entire class or in smaller groups. The idea is to help students begin to feel
comfortable about the topic and to allow them to develop some group themes about what should
be included in the class bibliography.

After the brainstorming session is completed, help the class to explore themes or main ideas in
their responses. What does the class know or feel about bullying? Does it appear to be a concern?
Is there something that clearly stands out as an issue or set of ideas?
Encourage students to participate in the gleaning and meaning of the responses.

Next, tell the class they will all be responsible for the development of a bullying information
bibliography.

• Divide the class into working groups. Assign each group a subtopic related to bullying.
These topics can be taken from the brainstorming session and/or augmented with such

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 topics as: What is bullying? Who bullies? How much bullying occurs in the United
States? In our state? In our community? What happens to victims of bullying? What
happens to bullies? What about bystanders? What can parents do about bullying? What
can teachers do about bullying? What can concerned citizens do about bullying? What
can college students do about bullying? Is bullying a part of every child’s life? Does
bullying stop after childhood? What happens when bullying occurs in adolescence?

• An overall outline for the assignment may be developed by the instructor or by the class.
The class can then be divided into smaller groups. Each group should clearly define their
subtopic and these should be posted for all class members to see. This will enable groups
to help one another and to avoid overlap of assignments.

• After the subtopics have been finalized, group members can start building their
bibliography. Groups must submit a minimum of the following:
o 5 research-based (empirical) resources for referenced journals;
o 5 Internet-based resources;
o 5 books or book chapters by experts in the field;
o 5 media-related resources (e.g., videos, newspaper information); and
o 5 other resources selected by the group.

• Each bibliographic resource must contain the following:

o Complete citation of the resource in APA style. (See the following web sites for
resources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and
http://apastyle.apa.org/)
o Brief description (2 paragraphs or less) of the resource.
o Brief statement that includes comment on all of the following:
 Authority (Who created the information? What credentials does the
author have that makes him or her an expert on the topic?)
 Objectivity (Is the information objective? Is there a slant or bias in the
information? How do you know?)
 Authenticity (Is this a primary resource? If not, from where did the
information originate? Are there references in the resource that can be
checked?)
 Reliability (Is the information accurate? What criteria were used to
determine this? Is there a sponsor for the resource? If so, does this present
a bias or slant? What is the purpose of the information?)
 Timeliness (Is the information current? Are dates of creation and updating
apparent? Are sources and/or links current on Web-based resources?)
 Relevance (Does the resource contribute to the understanding of bullying
or related topics? Is the information in a usable format that can be easily
understood? Does the resource support other information found or add
new insight into understanding of the topic?)

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 • Concluding statement on suggested used for the resource. Group bibliographic
information can be compiled into a class resource.

Class Activities within the Text

Activity 6.1: Exploring Your Own Conformity

Students are asked to consider the various situations in which they conform and to identify four
personal examples of their conformity. Handout 6.1 is a hard copy of the form.

Activity 6.2: Compliance Principles

Students are invited to take a trip to a nearby shopping mall and visit some department stores and
other smaller shops. As they are pretending to shop, students are asked to take note of principles
of compliance in action. Handout 6.2 is a hard copy of the form.

Activity 6.3: Principles of Compliance in Personal Relationships and the Workplace—A

Personal Essay
In this activity, students consider the various ways that the principles of compliance have
influenced their own choices in relationships or in their actions in the workplace. Handout 6.3 is
a hard copy of the form.

Activity 6.4: Essay: Personal Experiences with Power and Powerlessness

Topics are presented for use as essay assignments or in small group discussions. The topics
explore the links between students’ own experiences and the information in the chapter.

Handouts

Handout 6.1 (Activity 6.1): Exploring Your Own Conformity

Handout 6.2 (Activity 6.2): Compliance Principles at the Mall
Handout 6.3 (Activity 6.3): Principles of Compliance in Personal Relationships and the
Workplace—A Personal Essay
Handout 6.4 (Activity 6.4): Essay: Personal Experiences with Power and Powerlessness
Handout 6.5: Two Minute Check
Handout 6.6: Sharing Two Minute Check Results
Handout 6.7: Two Minute Results Checklist

NAME:_________________________________ DATE:_______________

HANDOUT 6.1: EXPLORING YOUR OWN CONFORMITY

INSTRUCTIONS: Consider the various situations in which you conform. Identify four personal
examples of your own conformity and answer the following questions for each one:

A. Briefly describe in a sentence or two the situation in which you conform.

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B. Is your motive for this conformity informational or normative social influence?
Briefly justify your answer.

C. Are any situational influences (for example, ambiguity, group size, culture) or conformity
present in this example? Explain your answer.

D. Do you consider this example to be a positive or a negative example of conformity?

In other words, is this conformity beneficial to you or not?

Example 1:
a. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

b. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

c. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

d. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Example 2:
a. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

b. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

c. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

d. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Example 3:
a. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

b. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

c. ______________________________________________________________________

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 ______________________________________________________________________

d. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Example 4:
a. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

b. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

c. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

d. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

What insights have you gained from this exercise? What conclusions can you draw from your
answers?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

NAME:______________________________________ DATE:_____________________

HANDOUT 6.2: COMPLIANCE PRINCIPLES AT THE MALL

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Take a trip to a nearby shopping mall, and visit some of the department stores and
smaller retail stores.
• Pretend to be shopping so salespeople treat you like an average customer.
• Bring a small notepad with you, and keep a sharp eye out for the principles of
compliance that are in action all around the mall.
• Each time you find one, make some notes about what it is, how it works, and any “gut”
reactions you have to it.

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 • Then, in the following space, discuss your findings about any four of the principles you
found in your investigation.

Your discussion of each principle should include:

1. A description of how the principle was used, along with the name of the principle.
2. Any “gut” reactions you had to it.
3. Conclude your discussion with your reflections on this experience.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

NAME:_______________________________________ DATE:____________________

HANDOUT 6.3: PRINCIPLES OF COMPLIANCE IN

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND THE WORKPLACE—A PERSONAL
ESSAY

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Consider the various ways that the principles of compliance have influenced your own
choices in your relationships or your actions in the workplace.

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• For example, when did they play a role in your choice to pursue a relationship or a job?
• How have they influenced the continuing development of your relationships or work habits,
and/or your decisions to stay in relationships or jobs that aren’t ideal?
• Have they also influenced decisions you’ve made to leave relationships or jobs?
• Identify two or three examples that seem to best illustrate the impact of these psychological
principles on your relationships and discuss them in a 2-3 page paper.

• Your discussion of each example should include:

1. The name of the principle that affected you.
2. How it played a role in that relationship or workplace choice.
3. Your reflections on that choice, knowing what you know now about how your choice was
influenced by a principle of compliance.

NAME:___________________________ DATE:_______________________________

HANDOUT 6.4: ESSAY: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH POWER AND

POWERLESSNESS
INSTRUCTIONS:
• This chapter revealed the strength of an authority figure as an influence on our behavior.
For this exercise, choose one of the following options to explore your own experiences with
authority. Your instructor will tell you whether you should write a paper on this topic, or
instead discuss your experience with others in a small group.

Think of a time that you were in a fairly long-term position of authority.

1. Describe your role, along with the number and roles of the people over whom you had
authority.

2. How did you exert your authority? In other words, how did you get people to do what you
wanted them to do? If you used principles of compliance, discuss which ones, how you used
them, and how people responded to them. If you enforced your authority with negative
consequences for disobedience, describe how you did this and how people responded. Give
an example or two to illustrate your description.

3. Describe the hardest situation you faced during your time in that authority position, along
with how you dealt with it. Upon reflection, how well do you think you handled it, and why?

4. In what ways did your experience as an authority figure affect your concept of yourself? In
other words, what new facets of yourself (positive and/or negative) did you uncover as a
result of your experiences?

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NAME:_________________________________DATE:__________________________

HANDOUT 6.5: TWO MINUTE CHECK

Please take two minutes to answer the following questions about the chapter we are beginning.

• List two things you already know about perceptions in human relations.

1. ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

• List two things you would like to learn about perceptions in human relations. Please be
specific.

1. _____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

NAME:_________________________________DATE:__________________________

HANDOUT 6.6: SHARING TWO MINUTE CHECK RESULTS

Thank you for sharing your ideas in the two minute check we did this week.

• Here are some things you already know about perceptions in human relations.
• Here are some things you would like to learn about perceptions in human relations.

NAME:_________________________________DATE:__________________________

HANDOUT 6.7: TWO MINUTE CHECK RESULTS CHECKLIST

Chapter:___________________________________________________

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 Topic Date Covered

□ Perceptions in human relations 12/3/16

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