Social Proof Research Paper

By virtue of the rule for reciprocation, which is one of the most powerful weapons of influence, we are obligated to the repayment of favours, gifts, invitations, etc. There are two ways that the rule of reciprocity is used to get people to comply with a request. It can be used by getting people to repay favours after having them received one or it can be used by getting people to make a concession by making a concession to them first. Either way, this weapon of influence is not only pervasive, but it is also very powerful, making it a weapon of choice in both sales and politics. Its power was illustrated in Professor Dennis Regan’s experiment and the example of Hare Krishna, both of which showed that regardless of whether the individual liked

Certain behaviour is considered more correct to the degree that other people are doing it. Social proof is a shortcut because it involves following social cues from others rather than processing and analyzing the situation and trying to decide on a course of action. Social proof is caused by and works better under the condition of uncertainty. Furthermore, similarity is another key element because we tend to follow the behaviour of those similar to us. Social proof can be used ethically if it is used to set positive examples or to influence others to behave ethically. It can be used unethically in several ways. First of all, it can be used by unethical people such as Reverend Jim Jones, who isolated people and manipulated them using his understanding of social psychology to orchestrate a mass suicide. Secondly, it can be used unethically when negative things such as violence, aggression and suicide are highly publicized which stimulates an increased level of violence, aggression and suicidal tendencies. Social proof can also be used unethically if the social evidence behind it is falsified (i.e. if testimonies used in advertisements are falsified). Finally, it can be used unethically if someone is using it to get others to do something incorrect/unethical. An example of social proof being used ethically on the online collaborative platform would be if

Causes of liking include physical attractiveness, similarity, compliments and cooperation. We tend to assign good-looking people good traits such as talent, kindness and honesty. Good-looking job and political candidates tend to get more jobs and more votes respectively. Furthermore, we like people who are more similar to us. This means that people can claim to be similar to us in order to persuade us. Flattery and complements are also powerful in terms of persuasion regardless of whether the positive comments are true or not. Finally, cooperation can lead to success and harmony whereas a more competitive environment leads to