Theoretically different modalities of social influence are set out and a blueprint for the study of socio-political dynamics is delivered.

This text, part of the McGraw-Hill Series in Social Psychology, is for the student with no prior background in social psychology. Written by Philip Zimbardo and Michael Leippe, outstanding researchers in the field, the text covers the relationships existing between social influence, attitude change and human behavior. Through the use of current, real-life situations, the authors illustrate the principles of behavior and attitude change at the same time that they foster critical thinking skills on the part of the reader.

The Oxford Handbook of Social Influence restores this important field to its once preeminent position within social psychology. Editors Harkins, Williams, and Burger lead a team of leading scholars as they explore a variety of topics within social influence, seamlessly incorporating a range of analyses (including intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intragroup), and examine critical theories and the role of social influence in applied settings today.

The contributions to this volume capture the thrill of current work on social influence, as well as providing a tutorial on the scientific and technical aspects of this research. The volume teaches the student to: Learn how to conduct lab, field and case research on social influence through example by leading researchers Find out about the latest discoveries including the status of research on social influence tactics, dissonance theory, conformity, and resistance to influence Discover how seemingly complex issues such as power, rumors, group and minority influence and norms can be investigated using the scientific method Apply knowledge to current influence campaigns to find out what works and what does not. The Science of Social Influence is the perfect core or complementary text for advanced undergraduate or graduate students in courses such as Attitudes and Attitude Change, Communications, Research Methods and, of course, Social Influence.

Every day we are asked to fulfil others’ requests, and we make regular requests of others too, seeking compliance with our desires, commands and suggestions. This accessible text provides a uniquely in-depth overview of the different social influence techniques people use in order to improve the chances of their requests being fulfilled. It both describes each of the techniques in question and explores the research behind them, considering questions such as: How do we know that they work? Under what conditions are they more or less likely to be effective? How might individuals successfully resist attempts by others to influence them? The book groups social influence techniques according to a common characteristic: for instance, early chapters describe "sequential" techniques, and techniques involving egotistic mechanisms, such as using the name of one’s interlocutor. Later chapters present techniques based on gestures and facial movements, and others based on the use of specific words, re-examining on the way whether "please" really is a magic word. In every case, author Dariusz Dolinski discusses the existing experimental studies exploring their effectiveness, and how that effectiveness is enhanced or reduced under certain conditions. The book draws on historical material as well as the most up-to-date research, and unpicks the methodological and theoretical controversies involved. The ideal introduction for psychology graduates and undergraduates studying social influence and persuasion, Techniques of Social Influence will also appeal to scholars and students in neighbouring disciplines, as well as interested marketing professionals and practitioners in related fields.

Over the course of the last four decades, Robert Cialdini's work has helped spark an intellectual revolution in which social psychological ideas have become increasingly influential. The concepts presented in his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, have spread well beyond the geographic boundaries of North America and beyond the field of academic social psychology into the areas of business, health, and politics. In this book, leading authors, who represent many different countries and disciplines, explore new developments and the widespread impact of Cialdini's work in research areas ranging from persuasion strategy and social engineering to help-seeking and decision-making. Among the many topics covered, the authors discuss how people underestimate the influence of others, how a former computer hacker used social engineering to gain access to highly confidential computer codes, and how biology and evolution figure into the principles of influence. The authors break new ground in the study of influence.

This book stands out from other books on the topic of influence. Most books on influence or persuasion select authors to focus on subsets of theoretical issues within a fairly narrow research focus. In this book, you will find a set of consumer and social researchers - some among the best in the country who address topics within their areas of expertise. The papers presented here should have a unique appeal because of the diverse range of issues that are examined. The papers are broadly connected within the consumer and social influence domain, but vary considerably in the theoretical matters the chapters address: empirical studies on how indirect social influence can affect different styles of thinking that result in counterintuitive outcomes; new insights into the issue of self-control as a limited resource and how it affects susceptibility to persuasion and compliance; the different types of appeals most effective in facilitating abstinence from unhealthy habits; how the effectiveness of a companys public response to brand failures is contingent on different factors involved in such failures; the persuasiveness of different forms of online versus offline consumer influence strategies; an expanded theoretical approach to social responsiveness integrated into an emerging area of theoretical physics: socio-physical modeling; and finally a controversial chapter that defines, tests and validates a scale that measures a commonly used descriptive vulgarity (negative influence) and then demonstrates its utility in predicting interpersonal and social problems. The empirical and conceptual chapters compiled in this book should be of interest to researchers working in the areas of consumer or social influence looking for new theoretical insights and ideas to investigate, as well as for those seeking stimulating questions or results for classroom learning and discussion. This book provides both.