Psychological Modeling

In the field of psychology the concept of modeling as it applies to persuasion and normative social influence has been well explored and documented. In its simplest form, modeling is the concept that suggests if one individual performs an action others are likely to imitate. If one person is walking quickly through a hallway, others are more likely to do the same. If one person puts a tip in a jar, others are more likely to do the same. It has been suggested that when an actor is seen in a situation, it creates a social script that observers can choose to follow. This is especially true when the observer is in an unfamiliar environment or with unfamiliar people. Because there is often a limited amount of time or resources to investigate a given situation, the most convenient, (and oftentimes the most accurate) way to determine a course of action is by observing the surrounding individuals (Cialdini, 1984). Every person in any situation will have a slightly varied role to fulfill, but typically those that have similar characteristics have similar roles. Not surprisingly then, the more similar an actor is to the observer, the stronger the effects of modeling tend to be (Cialdini, 1984); similarly, the larger the number of actors modeling a behavior or attitude, the more an observer is likely to follow suit (Franzoi, 2003). No one ever wants to appear foolish, stupid, or incompetent, and following the crowd is oftentimes the best way to avoid this. This normative social influence acts on practically everyone, and can have profound, lasting, and sometimes unpredictable implications. The influence of modeling should neither be ignored nor underestimated, as its power can be partially blamed for the existence and maintenance of cults (Cialdini, 1984), the birth of riots, eating disorders (Gimlin, 1994), war crimes (Myers, 2002), suicide epidemics, and countless other trends, actions, and beliefs on both societal and individual levels. This social influence can even lead an individual to make statements that he or she believes to be entirely false or commit an action that otherwise would be against their code of ethics (Aronson, et al., 2005).

While the influence of this social phenomenon has been thoroughly documented, the degree to which it is known by the non-academic public has gone relatively unexplored. Specifically, it is unclear as to whether the average person understands that modeling and normative social influence play a significant role in their behaviors, decisions, and beliefs.

Citiations:

Aronson, E., Wilson, T.D., & Akert, R.M. (2005). Social Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Company.

Cialdini, R.B. (1984). Influence : how and why people agree to things. New York: Morrow.

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

Myers, D.G. (2002). Social Psychology. Holland, Michigan: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.