Social Influence and Behavioral Analysis in Psychology and Criminology

1. Discussion Post: Social Influence (Week 6)

Title: Week 6 Discussion: Social Influence (Conformity, Compliance, Obedience)
Points: 25 points possible
Due Date: [Specific date/time]

Required Resources: Readings on social influence (normative and informational), Milgram, Asch, Zimbardo.

Initial Post Instructions:
Think of the last time you were with a group (work, friends, campus). Describe how your behavior changed when you were with the group. Explain why your behavior changed. Provide an example of conformity, compliance, or obedience and cite theory or key concepts to support your example (for example, normative influence or informational influence).

Follow-Up Post Instructions:
Respond to at least two classmates or one classmate and the instructor. Extend the discussion by adding depth, clarification, or additional research connections.

During a recent team meeting, I agreed with a proposal I privately doubted because everyone else expressed support, which reflects normative social influence rather than genuine attitude change. The pressure to maintain group harmony outweighed my personal evaluation of the idea. This response aligns with Asch’s findings that individuals often conform publicly even when they privately disagree. The behavior demonstrates how conformity functions as a social survival mechanism rather than a rational decision process.

References (APA)

• Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193(5), 31–35. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican1155-31

• Cialdini, R. B., & Goldstein, N. J. (2004). Social influence: Compliance and conformity. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 591–621. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.142015

• Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040525

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2. Homework/Discussion: Normative Influence 

Activity: Normative Influence Reflection
Instructions:
Watch required videos (e.g., Milgram obedience study, Stanford Prison Experiment). Respond to the following:

1. Describe examples of normative influence among your peer group.

2. Provide examples of informational influence in everyday settings.

3. Compare social media versus face-to-face conformity.

4. Discuss when obedience to authority is helpful versus harmful.

Normative influence appears regularly in my peer group through subtle expectations around dress, language, and participation, especially in professional settings. Informational influence is more evident when I rely on others’ judgments in unfamiliar situations such as interpreting course requirements. Social media amplifies conformity because visibility and quantifiable feedback increase pressure to align with group norms. Obedience becomes constructive in structured settings such as healthcare or aviation but becomes dangerous when authority discourages critical evaluation.

References

• Deutsch, M., & Gerard, H. B. (1955). A study of normative and informational social influences. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 51(3), 629–636. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046408

• Bond, R., & Smith, P. B. (1996). Culture and conformity. Psychological Bulletin, 119(1), 111–137. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.1.111

• Twenge, J. M. (2019). More time on technology, less happiness? World Psychiatry, 18(3), 372–373. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20687

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3. Discussion: Social Behavior / Social Influence (Week 3) 

Assignment: Weekly Social Influence Discussion
Instructions:
Complete the following tasks:

• Log at least 10 behaviors you engage in over 24 hours that you think are caused by conformity or obedience.

• Identify situational, social, and cultural factors affecting your behavior.

• Analyze whether each behavior reflects normative or informational influence.

• Select one behavior based on a social norm and violate that norm safely or spend a day minimizing conformity.

• Write a short reflection describing reactions to your nonconformity and how social influence shapes behavior.
  Include examples and apply course theory directly.

Several daily behaviors such as agreeing with peers in class discussions and adjusting tone in professional emails reflect conformity driven by situational norms. Cultural expectations about politeness and respect strongly shape these responses. When I intentionally violated a minor norm by offering direct disagreement in a group discussion, the reaction was visible discomfort, which reinforced how strongly group cohesion regulates behavior. These experiences align with social influence theory, which emphasizes the power of situational context over individual disposition.

References.

• Ross, L., & Nisbett, R. E. (2011). The person and the situation: Perspectives of social psychology. Pinter & Martin.

• Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: Science and practice (5th ed.). Pearson.

• Zimbardo, P. G. (2007). The Lucifer effect: Understanding how good people turn evil. Random House.

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4. Final Paper Assignment: Social Psychology (Week 5) 

Title: Social Psychology: Bringing It All Together
Length: 8–10 pages
Instructions:
Write a formal research paper that explores the following sections:

1. Self-concept and social perception (self-schemas, self-esteem)

2. Attribution and attitude formation

3. Persuasion and social influence (including obedience and conformity)

4. Group behavior and prosocial/helping behaviors
   Integrate academic sources and theory throughout the paper following APA formatting.

Self-concept develops through ongoing social comparison, shaping both self-esteem and interpersonal behavior across contexts. Attribution processes influence how individuals interpret success and failure, often producing systematic biases such as the fundamental attribution error. Social influence research demonstrates that persuasion, conformity, and obedience emerge more strongly from situational pressures than from personality traits. Group processes further explain how prosocial behavior can be promoted or suppressed depending on norms, identity, and perceived responsibility.

References.

• Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Sommers, S. R. (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Pearson.

• Fiske, S. T. (2018). Social beings: Core motives in social psychology (4th ed.). Wiley.

• Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497

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5. Criminology Discussion/Assignment 

Assignment Example: CCJ 230 Discussion – Psychological Theoretical Perspectives
Prompt:
Discuss how specific criminological theories explain criminal behavior. For example:

• Describe Lombroso’s biological perspective and critique it with contemporary social theory.

• Provide examples of how social structural conditions (e.g., poverty, disorganization) promote crime.
  Use theories such as strain theory, social learning, or rational choice to support your analysis.

Lombroso’s biological theory contributed historically but lacks empirical credibility due to its deterministic assumptions and methodological bias. Contemporary criminology instead emphasizes social structural factors such as poverty, inequality, and neighborhood disorganization as drivers of crime. Strain theory explains how blocked access to legitimate opportunities can motivate deviant adaptation. Social learning theory further accounts for how criminal behavior is acquired through exposure and reinforcement within peer networks.

References.

• Agnew, R. (2006). Pressured into crime: An overview of general strain theory. Oxford University Press.

• Akers, R. L., & Jennings, W. G. (2019). Social learning theory and the explanation of crime. Routledge.

• Sampson, R. J., & Groves, W. B. (1989). Community structure and crime. American Journal of Sociology, 94(4), 774–802. https://doi.org/10.1086/229068

Submit discussion posts, reflections, and analytical responses that apply social psychology and criminological theory to real-world behavior, including conformity, obedience, normative influence, group processes, and explanations of criminal behavior using academic sources and theory-based reasoning.