Conformity refers to a change in behavior to match the actions or responses of others in order to “fit in," despite not necessarily agreeing with the actions of others.

Conformity

Responding to a direct request by changing one’s behavior

Compliance

The mistaken impression that people in a group largely accept a norm because the group members are acting inconsistently or against their beliefs. 

Pluralistic Ignorance

Social influence reduces diversity in crowd responses which diminishes the accuracy of the group median estimate.

The Social Influence Effect in Relation to Crowd Estimates


A study to test the hypothesis that online social network can influence political behaviour. 

A 61- million- person experiment in social influence and political mobilization 

Houck, A. M., King, A. S., &amp; Taylor, J. B. (2021). Updating with others: Testing the effect of informational social influence on political attitudes. Politics &amp; Policy, 49(1), 87–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12394 

Updating with Others: Testing the Effect of
Informational Social Influence on Political
Attitudes

The perception of common agreement amongst people, also called "social proof."

Social Consensus

Through a process, ideas and behaviors that could be considered outside social norms come to be accepted as "normal". 

Social Normalization 

The ability to understand others’ perspectives and empathize with them, even when they are from varied backgrounds.

Social Awareness

When individuals find themselves in a new or uncertain situation where the appropriate way to behave is unclear, they tend to observe the actions of others to guide their own behavior. This reliance on social cues is a key mechanism through which people navigate unfamiliar social environments and align their actions with the group.

Using Social Cues in Ambiguous Situations

Group processes are a key area within social psychology that illustrates how the dynamics of a social situation can significantly change an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This topic, along with conformity and obedience, exemplifies the broader concept of social influence.

Group Processes

Obedience is the act of changing one's behavior to comply with an order from an authority figure. This influence is so powerful that individuals may follow directives even when they conflict with their personal values.

Obedience

Human social interactions can be categorized by their dual nature, leading to both positive and negative outcomes. People may collaborate for the greater good, such as providing mutual aid during crises, but they can also cause significant harm through aggression, adherence to immoral group norms, or destructive obedience to authority.

Duality of Social Behavior

Analyze the following scenario and explain the primary psychological reason for the change in Alex's actions, based on how social situations can alter individual behavior.

Navigating Unspoken Office Norms

Social influence refers to the power of a social situation to alter an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This phenomenon, driven by real or imagined pressure from others, is demonstrated through key topics such as conformity, obedience, and group processes.

Google

University of Delaware

Michigan State University

State University of New York at Binghamton

- Formulations
- Social influence on human behavior
- Legislation changes in clinical psychology
- Incorporating the social model of disability into psychological practice

Clinical Psychology: Overcoming Criticism

Interpersonal topics in social psychology pertain to the interactions and relationships involving dyads and groups. Key areas of study include helping behaviors, aggression, prejudice and discrimination, attraction and close relationships, as well as group and intergroup processes.

Interpersonal Topics in Social Psychology

Persuasion and social influence constitute a major subfield within social psychology. Persuasion, in particular, is one of the most heavily researched topics in the discipline, providing a wealth of information on how individuals can be influenced by others.

Persuasion and Social Influence as a Field of Study

Gilovich, Thomas, Dacher Keltner, Serena Chen, and Richard E. Nisbett. Social Psychology, 2019. Print.

Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction

Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., &amp; Nisbett, R. E. (2019). Social psychology. W. w. Norton &amp; Company. 

Social Psychology

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Clinical psychology prefers "psychological formulations" over psychiatric diagnoses—comprehensive, testable hypotheses that explain distress within life context, contrasting psychiatry’s focus on internal pathology. 

Formulations

Social Influence

 The British Psychological Society’s Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) has criticized psychiatric models and diagnostic manuals, urging inclusion of social and relational factors in formulations. The DCP emphasizes combating stigma, promoting open mental health dialogue, and supporting community engagement. Additionally, the UK’s Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) requires clinical psychologists to understand social approaches like community and constructivist perspectives.

Legislation changes in clinical psychology

Clinical psychologists face difficulty reconciling progressive ideals with the practical constraints of real-world settings. At its core, clinical psychology remains focused on “changing the person rather than changing the world,” prioritizing individual or small group interventions. Most practitioners are oriented toward psychological change at the personal level. Despite calls for more political and socially engaged practice, disabled people continue to be relatively marginalized within clinical psychology.

Incorporating the social model of disability into psychological practice

Prosocial behavior is defined as any voluntary action performed with the specific intention of benefiting another person or group. It raises the question of whether such acts are motivated solely by personal benefits, like feeling good, or if other reasons, such as altruism, are at play.

Prosocial Behavior

Discrimination is defined as an action or behavior towards an individual that results from their membership in a particular group. While typically discussed as a negative and oppressive act, such as exclusion, discrimination can also manifest positively through preferential treatment for individuals who are part of one's own group.

Discrimination in Social Psychology

Social networks are social structures consisting of interconnected patterns of relationships among different individuals.

Social Network 

In social psychology, prejudice refers to the attitudes and feelings held toward an individual based solely on their membership in a particular social group. While these attitudes are often negative and problematic, they can also be positive, such as having favorable feelings for people who belong to a group one identifies with.

Prejudice in Social Psychology

While social psychology often examines negative behaviors, it also delves into positive social interactions such as what draws people together. The study of love and attraction explores the key questions of relationship formation, including the situational factors that make relationships more likely, the universal traits people find appealing, the different classifications of love, and theories that explain how relationships are initiated, sustained, and sometimes ended.

Love and Attraction

Physical proximity is the single most influential factor in determining the formation of friendships and romantic relationships. People are significantly more likely to build relationships with individuals they encounter frequently simply because regular contact provides more opportunities for interaction and getting to know one another.

Proximity in Relationship Formation

Aggression is defined as any behavior intended to cause harm or pain to another person. It is a core topic in social psychology, encompassing a range of actions with different underlying motivations.

Aggression

Persuasion is the process of changing an individual's attitude toward something based on communication. Unlike attitude change driven by internal factors like cognitive dissonance, persuasion typically involves external forces attempting to influence a person's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Persuasion

Carl Hovland was a psychologist who conducted extensive research on persuasion, initially for the U.S. Army during World War II and later at Yale University. His work was foundational in developing the Yale attitude change approach.

Carl Hovland

A team of public health officials wants to design a city-wide campaign to encourage residents to adopt healthier eating habits. The campaign will use various media to present arguments, data, and emotional appeals to shift public attitudes and behaviors. Which area of study within social psychology would provide the most directly relevant theories and research to guide the creation of this effective campaign?

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