Environmental Factors of Social Influence

The physical and social environment is a critically important component of influence. To illustrate, consider the following scenario: A young American man finds himself in a foreign country, surrounded by a great number of people who are physically similar, dressed alike, and paying no particular attention to him. This young man does not speak the native language, is not familiar with the customs of the land, and he does know anyone in the country. While in a very crowded transit station, without warning, a loud siren sound erupts from speakers all around the building and, as if on cue, everyone in the building falls to the floor, covers their head, and curls into the fetal position. This young man is presented with a choice; he can take a wild guess as to the proper procedure in this instance, or he could follow the lead of everyone else and assume the fetal position, and hope that all would turn out well. Would our subject be best served running wildly for his life, not knowing what the emergency, if any, is, or would he be wiser to follow the example of those around him?

Most people would agree that in a situation in which there is a great degree of uncertainty and ambiguity it would be wise to follow the cues found in our environments. Research suggests that this is exactly what humans are likely to do. In situations in which there are high degrees of uncertainty on the part of the actor, there is a much greater likelihood that the subject at hand will follow the cues suggested by others. While this can sometimes lead to folly, this is generally a pro-social and proactive course of action (Wheelan, 2005). If an individual does not have a familiar point of reference to draw on, when an action is necessary inferences must be made based on the information that is available. Influence tools are effective primarily due to their appearance as valid points of reference; if there are no other points available, their strength becomes much more powerful.

In addition, there are a number of other more subtle environmental cues that affect persuasiveness. For example, research suggests that if a subject is exposed to imagery that evokes a state of passion, that person becomes much more likely to be influenced (Huddy & Gunnthorsdottir, 2000). Similarly, the presence of music tends to increase the likelihood of persuasion among subjects (Franzoi, 2003).

Works Cited

Franzoi, S.L. (2003). Social Psychology. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Huddy, L. & Gunnthorsdottir, A.H. (2000). The persuasive effects of emotive visual imagery: Superficial manipulation or the product of passionate reason Political Psychology, 21(4).

Wheelan, S.A. (2005). Group processes: A developmental perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.