Chapter: Chapter07: Social Influence: Being Influenced by—and Influencing—Others

Essay/Discussion Questions:

1. We are consistently confronted with persuasion techniques through the media and our interactions with others even when we may not be aware of it. Describe an example of a time you were subject to a persuasion technique (e.g., bait and switch at a car lot) and how you responded. Would you have responded differently had you known more about the nature of persuasion? Why or why not? 2. The college environment is replete with pressures to conform, from wearing the school colors to hanging out at “the” coolest club or engaging in assorted risky behaviors. Thinking about your college experience thus far, identify the pressures to conform you have experienced and how you have handled them. Describe how similar or dissimlilar your experience is to what you expected it to be. 3. Milgrim’s classic experiment continues to be controversial on many levels, not the least of which being how ethical it is to use deception in research studies. In a brief essay describe why or why not you believe the study should have been done and whether you believe it would still be conducted today. What, if any, value was derived from the study? What, if any, precautions should have been taken to minimize harm to the participants? 4. Think about and reflect on conformity as it serves a purpose in our society. What, if any, positive examples of conformity can you identify? Negative? Compare and contrast conformity in the military with conformity in gangs and cults. 5. Take the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule on pages 248 in your textbook and calculate your score using the scoring key on page 254. In a brief essay describe whether you were surprised by your score, and if so, why. Describe how you believe your life would be different if you were more or less assertive than you are now. 6. Joe College finds himself in an interesting social situation. After attending a movie with a group of friends, Joe returns with them to their dorm. They’re relaxing in one of the rooms when the president of the dorm council says, “Hey! Do you guys wanna get high?” Four of the others say “Yes!” immediately, but Joe and one other man are slow to respond. Joe doesn’t know much about drugs and has no strong opinions on the subject. Based upon the principles or research discussed in the text, identify (3) factors or variables in the situation that may influence Joe to say “Yes.” Or “No.” to drugs