4.3.A—Explain how the social situation affects behavior and mental processes

Explain how the social situation affects behavior and mental processes.

• Social norms define expectations and roles a society may have for its members in individual and social situations.
• Social influence theory proposes that social pressure to behave or think in certain ways can be normative or informational.
• Persuasion refers to the techniques applied to convince the self or others of particular ideas, actions, or beliefs.
  • i. Persuasion can depend on the route to persuasion. The elaboration likelihood model outlines two main routes to persuasion: central and peripheral. The halo effect is an example of a peripheral route to persuasion.
  • ii. Persuasion can depend on how information is presented, as demonstrated by the foot-in-the-door and the door-in-the-face techniques.
• Research on conformity clarifies the conditions that strengthen the likelihood of people adhering to unspoken rules, norms, or expectations.
• Research on obedience clarifies the conditions that strengthen the likelihood of people complying with the directives of an authority figure.