The Psychology Of Consumer And Social 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.

Preface -- Indirect social influence at work : the effect of anticipated discussion on thinking style / Nicole Votolato Montgomery and Rajesh Bhargave, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA, and others -- Self-control and the susceptibility to persuasion, compliance, and conformity / Edward Burkley and Thomas Hatvany, Oklahoma State University, OK, USA -- Blowing smoke : how appeal type influences subjective norms and intentions to consume electronic cigarettes / Mitchel R. Murdock and Priyali Rajagopal, University of South Carolina, SC, USA -- Consumer response to brand failure / Sekar Raju, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA -- Rethinking the diamond model : theory and research support self-anticonformity as a basic response and influence process / Paul R. Nail and Katarzyna Sznajd-Weron, University of Central Arkansas, AR, USA, and others -- Direct marketing on the internet: implications on customer acquisition, repeat buying, and firm performance / Jacquelyn Thomas, Richard Briesch and Peggy H. Tseng, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA, and others -- The vulgar euphemism (VE) scale : entitled incivility in social relations / Daniel J. Howard, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA -- Index

This collection of innovative essays examines the effects of social influence on consumer behavior processes and outcomes. The research focus is on social and consumer theory in helping to understand the interface between these two domains, with chapters investigating this interface from multiple perspectives thus providing diverse theoretical contributions to the discussion. This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal Social Influence.

This volume provides coverage of the latest social-psychological research into consumer behavior, including cognitive and affective processes, media influences, and self-regulation.

How do consumers process information? How do they make choices and decisions? How are decisions translated into actions of consumption? How can marketing influence and respond to consumers? The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour illuminates an area of intense academic and wider interest, bringing together research and practical insights into how theories in social psychology can be applied to consumer behaviour. Core themes include information processing and social cognition, communication processes, attitude models, emotion, social identity theory, and action theory. Within each of the major areas of social psychology, a historical perspective is provided, current knowledge reviewed, theories and findings critiqued, and directions for future research appraised. The Social Psychology of Consumer Behaviour provides a deeper perspective than standard texts which tend to be either atheoretical, overly encyclopedic, or outdated. It considers why consumers buy what they do, and how they go about making individual and group decisions concerning consumption. The result is essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners in psychology and marketing, as well as for those in related fields such as public policy, public health, health psychology, political science and sociology.

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.

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.

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

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.