3.

Social Influence Part

2
Stage 2 Psychology

Information quoted and adapted from: Gebert, K. and Green, D., 2021. SACE Stage 2 Psychology
Essentials Workbook. 1st ed. Adelaide: Adelaide Tuition Centre.
Bidirectional Relationship
between Attitudes and
Behaviour
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
BIDIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP
• It has been found that there is bi-directional
relationship between attitudes and behaviour,
therefore attitudes can influence behaviour, and
behaviour can influence attitudes.

• Example:
• If we have a positive attitude towards playing tennis, then we
are going to play tennis (attitude affecting behaviour)
• If we play tennis, then we are going to have a positive attitude
towards tennis (behaviour affects attitude)
HOW ATTITUDES CAN INFLUENCE
BEHAVIOUR
Attitude strength
• Stronger attitudes have a stronger influence on
behaviour and are more resistant to change – direct or
indirect experience.
Attitude accessibility
• Highly accessible attitudes comes to mind more quickly
and are remembered better.
Attitude specificity
• The more specific the behaviour, the more it influences Specific attitude such as
our attitudes (like jogging but hate all other exercise). enjoying running on the beach is more
likely to have a stronger attitude-behaviour link,
than a positive attitude toward exercise in general.
HOW BEHAVIOUR CAN INFLUENCE
ATTITUDES
• In some instances people can be unsure about their attitudes. This means we
actually have to do the behaviour in order for our attitude to become stronger or
established.

• Example: choosing to complete a subject/course but not having a strong

interest/knowledge/passion in the area due to inexperience.

• The behaviour comes first, then through experience the attitude towards the
subject/course is established/stronger whether it is positive, negative or ambivalent.

• Self perception is when we use our own behaviour as a guide to help us determine
our own thoughts and feelings. Example: feeling tired and grumpy but need to go to
sports training. You arrive and your friends greet you with smiles etc. so you pretend
to be happy. Gradually, the grumpy feelings lower after smiling and showing ‘happy’
behaviours.
 HOW BEHAVIOUR CAN
INFLUENCE ATTITUDES
• This behaviour-attitude link can also help to
explain the behaviour of the guards in the
Stanford Prison experiment. At first, many of the
guards were simply told what to do by Zimbardo,
but did not have an established negative attitude
towards the prisoners yet.

• It was only through doing the behaviours of

ridiculing, ordering, bullying etc. as part of their
assumed roles that the attitudes of the guards
towards the prisoners became negative.

• The guards relied on their own level of self

perception to guide their thoughts and feelings
based on their existing behaviour.
Factors that can affect
Bidirectional Relationship
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE
BIDIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP

• Is the link between attitudes and

behaviour always this simple?

• Sometimes, the link between

attitudes and behaviours, as well as
the ABC model are not always
consistent. Our behaviour will not
align with our feelings or thoughts,
or other factors will reduce the
bidirectional link.
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

Cognitive discomfort arising from holding two or more

inconsistent attitudes, behaviours or cognitions. Simply,
when the structure of the attitude is inconsistent.

• Examples:
• Smokers having a negative affective and cognitive towards
smoking, but continue to smoke (feelings and thoughts
inconsistent with behaviour).
• Not doing homework/study for a subject at school despite
enjoying it (behaviour inconsistent with feelings and thoughts).
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
• To reduce dissonance, you need to change your thoughts, feelings or
behaviours, so that they align with one another.

• Example: someone wants to stop eating sugary snacks but is tempted

by a donut (yuck!). They may attempt to reduce the dissonance through
one of the four cognitive reduction techniques:
1. Change their behaviour (I won’t eat anymore of this donut)
2. Justify behaviour by changing thoughts and feelings (I like donuts so I am allowed to
have a bit of sugar once in a while)
3. Justify behaviour by adding new cognitions (I will spend an extra 30 minutes at the gym
to work this off)
4. Ignore or deny information that conflicts with existing beliefs (This donut is not high in
sugar)
SITUATIONAL PRESSURES
• There is greater attitude-behaviour consistency when
the social situation matches.

• Example:
• Seiko tells their parents they hate the idea of smoking
cigarettes.
• In a different social situation, under pressure from their
friendship group, Seiko will be put to the test.
• Seiko’s attitude is being expressed in one social situation (when
they are with their parents), whereas the behaviour (trying a
cigarette) is likely to occur in a very different social situation
(when out with friends).
SELF-MONITORING
• Refers to individual differences in the tendency to attend to social cues
and to adjust our behaviour to the social environment.

• If Seiko is a ‘high self-monitor’ they will be concerned about being

accepted and liked by others, so is likely to be persuaded by peer
pressure and might try a cigarette if they are offered one.

• If Seiko is a ‘low self-monitor’, they will not be concerned about what

their friends think, and are likely to resist the peer pressure, and their
negative attitude towards smoking will match their behaviour. Because
they allow the social situation to influence their behaviours, the
relationship between attitudes and behaviour will be weaker for high
self-monitors than it is for low self-monitors.
CONSEQUENCES OF INCONSISTENCY
MENTAL DISTRESS
• People become stressed, or even distressed when their behaviour is not
aligned with their attitude.

• Example: If you are unhappy (negative affective component) with your job,
because you believe the boss is a bully, or the work is boring, or unfulfilling
(low cognitive component), yet you still go to work everyday because you need
the money (behaviour).

• Ultimately, this is going to negatively impact your mental health in the long
run.

• Social issues as a result of inconsistency between attitudes and behaviour

could include the impact on people’s relationships. If you are unhappy at
work, unhappy in a personal relationship, stressed because you aren’t
studying as hard as you would like to, this is likely to adversely impact on your
everyday interactions with work colleagues, friends and family.
CONSEQUENCES OF INCONSISTENCY
INABILITY TO PREDICT BEHAVIOUR
• The other consequence of inconsistency between attitudes and
behaviour is the inability to predict behaviour in other people.

• It is important to understand because facts are often reported as if they

are about people’s actions when they may only be about what people
say they are going to do.

• News reporters often make claims about behaviour, based on evidence

which is really about attitudes. Usually based on surveys and interviews.

• The digital world, online survey platforms, and other social media enable
people to quickly say “yes” to attending an event, as at the time the
person had a positive attitude towards attending the event, only to not
actually turn up on the day.
CONSEQUENCES OF INCONSISTENCY
SOCIAL DESIREABILITY BIAS
• Social desirability bias results from inconsistency between
attitudes and behaviours.

• Although people may have positive attitudes toward

behaviours they see as desirable, they do not actually perform
the behaviours as often as they say they do.

• It is easy to fall victim to social desirability when asked my

attitude about things that society in general frowns upon –
such as speeding, drug taking, excessive drinking. Someone
might self-report their attitude as negative, but actually
behave in a way that is inconsistent with this attitude.
Measuring Attitudes
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
 Attitudes can be measured using both
objective and subjective data collection
strategies.

MEASURIN
G
Main research methods include the
ATTITUDES following:

- SIS
Implicit
Behaviour
Self reports Association Test
counts
(IAT)
 MEASURING ATTITUDES – SIS
BEHAVIOUR COUNTS
• Objective quantitative method used to measure attitudes.
• Well suited for gathering data about some kinds of issues. For
example, it is quite possible to observe students’ attitudes
towards wearing the school uniform, by directly observing, and
counting the number of students wearing correct and incorrect
school uniform.
• Due to the inconsistencies between behaviour and attitude, just
observing a behaviour, is not necessarily an accurate measure
of the attitude.
• Care needs to be taken when evaluating the validity and
reliability of using a behaviour count for assessing attitudes.
The reliability of behaviour counts can be increased by ensuring
there is consistency between the behaviours recorded by
researchers/observers (called inter-rater reliability).
MEASURING ATTITUDES – SIS
SELF REPORTS
• Written or spoken answers to questions or statements
presented by the researcher.
• Can be quantitative (rating scales) or qualitative (surveys,
interviews), but is always subjective
• Self-reports surveys have the advantage of directly
questioning participants and allowing them to respond
with their own perception of their attitude, and the
extent to which they agree or disagree with the
questions being asked. This is useful for deter-mining
how many people are “for” or “against” a particular issue.
• A limitation of self-reports is that social desirability
factors can mean responses are not always truthful or
accurate, lowering validity and reliability.
MEASURING ATTITUDES – SIS
IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION TEST
• Attitudes that people express are often in conflict with their actual behaviour. With
implicit measures like the IAT, researchers hoped to finally be able to bridge the
gap between self-reported attitudes on one hand and behaviour on the other.

• The IAT is typically used to dig deeper than a self-report on issues associated with
stereotyping, such as gender roles, racism, sexuality, ageism.

• The IAT asks questions that ask you to indicate a preference for one concept over
another, and at the same time, asking whether something is good or bad.

• For example, you could tell someone whether or not you like maths. Implicit
attitudes are positive and negative evaluations that are much less accessible to our
conscious awareness. Even if you say that you like maths (your explicit attitude), it is
possible that you associate math with negativity without being actively aware of it.
In this case, we would say that your implicit attitude toward maths is negative.
 ETHICAL
IMPLICATIONS OF
MEASUING
ATTITUDES
• Mainly concerned with the
administration of self report methods to
measure attitudes.

• Voluntary participation
• Have the right to choose to
complete them in the first place
• Confidentiality
• Need to check that participants are
happy to divulge certain
information.
• Informed consent
• Must obtain consent form and
explain rights, risks, able to
withdraw etc.
Prejudice, Stereotyping and
Discrimination
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
PREJUDICE, STEREOTYPING
AND DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination - behaviour that treats
some people differently than others.

• Stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination often are root

causes of human conflict, which explains how strangers come
to feel hatred towards one another to the extent of causing
others harm i.e. crime, mass murder and war.

• No two people are the same, so differences come about as a

result of where we are born, personality, family circumstances, Prejudice – an emotion such as dislike or hatred
of someone who is different to others.
hobbies, interests and social groups we join.

• The social groups we belong to help form our identities. As

people develop strong attitudes of their own, and often seek
out likeminded peers who share similar attitudes, any
differences between groups of people can be difficult for some
people to understand and respect which in turn may lead to The stereotype of the 1950s housewife
prejudice toward people who are different. the belief that this was the role best suited for women.
 It would be surprising to have made it to year 12 throughout your schooling, and not witnessed firsthand the effects of
stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in the form of bullying amongst peers. Can you reflect on your own experiences, and
identify any examples?
STEREOTYPING
• Stereotypes: a specific belief or assumption about individuals based solely
on their membership in a group, regardless of their individual
characteristics.

• Stereotypes become overgeneralised and applied to all members of a group.

For example, someone holding stereotypical attitudes toward older adults,
may believe that older adults are slow and incompetent.

• Stereotyping includes:
• Categorising people into groups, for example gender, ethnicity, race,
physical ability, disability, age, culture, sexuality, social class, occupation
or intelligence.
• Assuming that all members of a particular group of people are the same.
PREJUDICE
• Prejudice: a negative attitude (both cognitions and
feelings) toward an individual based solely on
someone’s membership in a particular social group.

• For example, in high school some groups may dislike the

footy players, for no good reason, other than they play
footy.

• Prejudice can also be a result of positive emotions, such

as favouring the music students by giving them
additional time to complete an assignment.
DISCRIMINATION
• Discrimination is an action toward an
individual because they belong to a
particular group.

• For example, as a result of holding negative

beliefs (stereotypes) and negative attitudes
(prejudice) about a particular group, people
may treat the target of prejudice poorly, such
as bullying them, or leaving them out of social
activities.
WHY ARE PEOPLE PREJUDICED?
STEREOTYPES
• Stereotypes play a role in shaping prejudice.

• Prejudice (meaning pre-judgement) is a judgement or attitude towards a group of people based on insufficient
evidence, or incorrect information about a group of people, that doesn’t take into account individual differences
between the people in the group.

• The reason why prejudice occurs is found in the psychology of human survival.

• The human brain can process 40 pieces of information per second consciously but can process 11 million pieces
unconsciously. As with anything where people cut corners, mistakes are likely to occur. The human brain likes to
organise information into categories to make the world simpler to understand.

• Prejudice and stereotyping are two examples of the mistakes that result from trying to quickly categorise
information about the people we meet.
WHY ARE PEOPLE PREJUDICED?
UNINTENTIONAL BIASES

• Automatic, unintentional, inbuilt attitudes that we use when we process information.

• Unintentional biases have implications in all sorts of scenarios, the workplace, your sporting
team, interactions with the general public.

• Example: If an elderly person came through your checkout at the supermarket, you might
un-consciously, or unintentionally think to yourself, “This person won’t be very good with
technology”, or “This person probably won’t be up to date with what is currently happening
on social media”

• Different types of unintentional biases, including (but not limited to) confirmation bias,
attribution bias, gender bias and conformity bias.
Consider the following unconscious biases and identify an example of where these might occur in the
workplace.
WHY ARE PEOPLE PREJUDICED?
EXPOSURE

• As discussed in the section on the formation of attitudes, prejudice which is a type of attitude which can
be formed through direct and indirect experiences.

• Example: If you walk to school each day past a group of homeless people who ask you each and every day
for some money, this exposure through direct experience is likely to help you develop a stereotype, and
therefore prejudice about homeless people.

• Exposure to stereotypes through indirect experiences such as a friend telling you about their
experiences, or seeing regular news articles on TV, or comments on social media can also explain why
prejudices form.

• People tend of conform to the social norms they are exposed to in their daily lives. If your family and
friends develop a prejudice towards a group of people, there is a high likelihood you too will develop this
same prejudice, until such time that you have your own direct experience and are able to re-assess your
attitude.
WHY ARE PEOPLE PREJUDICED?
LEARNING
Film: American History X

• Children are not born with prejudiced attitudes or with stereotypes. Children learn prejudiced
attitudes and beliefs from the people around them: their parents, teachers, friends, the
media, and the myriad of social media they are exposed to each day.

• Social learning theory suggests that prejudice is learned in the same way other attitudes and
values are learned:

• Association: For example, children may learn to associate a particular group with poverty, crime,
violence, and other bad things.
• Reinforcement: Children may be reinforced for telling derogatory ethnic, sexist, or homophobic
jokes; others might laugh along or think they’re ‘cool’.
• Modelling: Children may simply imitate the prejudices of their older family and popular friends.
EFFECTS OF PREJUDICE
SOCIAL STIGMA
• Social stigma is therefore the term used to explain the disapproval
of, or discrimination against, a person based on a stereotype that
they may associate with or be associated with.

• Members of stigmatised social groups often face prejudice that

causes depression and low self-esteem. Continual insults, denial of
equality, exposure to violence, discrimination can threaten your
social identity and be psychologically harmful.

• Studies have shown that by 10 years of age, most children are

aware of cultural stereotypes of different groups in society, and
children who are members of stigmatised groups are aware of
cultural types at an even younger age.
EFFECTS OF PREJUDICE
INTERNALISATION OF OTHERS
EVALUATION

• Internalised stigma refers to the process in which a person cognitively or

emotionally absorbs negative messages or stereotypes that they have
heard about and comes to believe them and apply them to themselves.

• Those who are stereotyped often start to act in ways that their
stigmatisers expect of them. It not only changes their behaviour, but it
also shapes their emotions and beliefs.

• Can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. You may not have ever thought you
would shoplift, but if you are labelled, stereotyped, bullied and
discriminated along with members of your social group, you may
eventually change your behaviour so that it is in keeping with the stigma
you now associate with.
EFFECTS OF PREJUDICE
STEREOTYPE THREAT
• Stereotype threat is a situation in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of
conforming to stereo-types about their social group.

• If negative stereotypes are present regarding a specific group, group members are
likely to become anxious about their performance, which may hinder their ability to
perform to their full potential.

• Repeated experiences of stereotype threat can lead to a cycle of reduced confidence,

poor performance, and loss of interest in achievement.

• Stereotype threat has been argued to show a reduction in the performance of

individuals who belong to negatively stereotyped groups. Groups include people from
low socio-eco-nomic backgrounds, different racial backgrounds, gender, and disability.

• Pygmalion effect: how expectations can modify behaviour. If positive expectations are
set, positive outcomes more likely. If negative expectations are set, negative outcomes
more likely.
Changing Prejudice
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
CHANGING PREJUDICE
• There are laws in Australia which prevent discrimination.

• In addition, South Australia has the: South Australia Equal Opportunity Act 1984.
Under the combination of Federal and State laws existing in South Australia, it is
unlawful to dis-criminate on the following grounds in the following areas
CHANGING PREJUDICE

Despite these laws, discrimination still occurs. Examples of discrimination include the above.
CHANGING PREJUDICE
EDUCATION
• The formation of prejudice can be reduced
through education programs in schools where
children are taught about proactive values such
as tolerance, community, the consequences of
prejudice and what discrimination looks like.

• National programs such as “Harmony Day”,

“Bullying No Way”, “Reconciliation Week”, “Wear
it Purple day” aim to pro-vide awareness,
understanding and empathy for living and
working together in harmony.
CHANGING PREJUDICE
INTERGROUP CONTACT

• Prejudice can be reduced through direct contact between groups of

people who have prejudicial attitudes towards each other.

• The criteria for successful reduction in prejudicial attitudes involve the

following factors:
• Ongoing interactions and contact between the groups
• Mutual interdependence, where the groups participate in cooperative,
collaborative activities that require the two groups to work together
• Equal status between the groups so there is no hierarchy or dominance
created
• Explicit social norms established aimed at reducing prejudice
CHANGING PREJUDICE
SUPERORDINATE GOALS

• Working towards common goals can support knowledge and

understanding between groups. This is a particularly useful
strategy in schools, and the workplace.

• However, the goals must be shared and require contributions

from both groups, other-wise conflict and further reasons for
prejudice, dis-crimination and the effects of these may
continue.
CHANGING PREJUDICE
DIRECT EXPERIENCE

• Directly experiencing another culture or lifestyle, either in another

country or within our own is one step towards creating understanding
and empathy for another culture.

• May be through learning another language, learning about another

culture or cultural immersion experiences.

• As we discussed in the section on factors affecting attitude formation Hongi – traditional Māori
greeting practice
earlier in this topic, direct experiences create attitudes that are stronger,
have greater accessibility and are more durable over time.
Self Presentation
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
SELF PRESENTATION
• Self-presentation refers to how people attempt to present themselves to
control or shape how others (called the audience) view them.

• Self-presentation is part of a broader set of behaviours called impression

management (to be explored later in this topic), which is a conscious
attempt to control how others perceive them. This is often achieved by
controlling all the information shared in any social interaction.

• Given the rise of interactions occurring on social media, self-presentation

has become a pervasive and important feature of social life.

• There is increased pressure to present positive attributes which may result

in some individuals withholding information that reflects ‘the authentic self’
and misrepresents themselves to gain social rewards, for example, likes or
comments on photos by peers and unknown friends of friends.
SELF PRESENTATION
• Compared to social media, face to face interactions provide a limited
opportunity to employ this form of social influence or share the
volume of information that on-line platforms provide.

• Likewise, on-line presentation removes the opportunity for verbal and

non-verbal cues to contradict the image the on-line platforms provide,
for example, being socially competent and not socially awkward.

Self-presentation serves three important functions:

1. It helps facilitate social interaction
2. It enables individuals to attain material and social rewards
3. It helps people privately construct desired identities
SELF PRESENTATION
SELF CONCEPT
• Self-concept refers to our private sense of self, who we are and what is it
that makes us so.

• Self-concept helps to build our identity and see ourselves whilst social
identity is linked to the perception or belief of how others see us.

• Carl Rogers proposed that our self-concept is made up of 3 components:

• Ideal self: The person you want to be.
• Self-image: How you see yourself, including attributes like your physical
characteristics, personality traits, and social roles.
• Self-worth: How much you like, accept, or value yourself, which can be
Carl Rogers - Humanist impacted by a number of factors including how others see you, how you think
you compare to others, and your role in society
SELF PRESENTATION
VALIDATION
• Research has shown that our on-line behaviour directly correlates with our
sense of self-worth, as well as our psychological wellbeing.

• Validation of self-concept is achieved by users carefully crafting their on-line

presence by posting images that show only the most enviable moments and
picture-perfect photos that reflect the idealised concept of beauty and success.

• External validation comes from the number of likes, hearts, smiling faces and
comments reinforcing approval of the images shared which aligns with the
individual’s self-concept, further enhancing self-esteem.

• The lack of responses may reinforce negative self-concept despite the on-going
attempt at positive self-presentation. Abundance of research highlighting links
between social media use and development of narcissism, depression, anxiety
and low-self esteem.
SELF PRESENTATION
HIGH AND LOW SELF MONITORS
High Self Monitors
• Worry about their image and how they present to others.

• Strive to be the best version of themselves in any given situation. This

means they change their behaviour based on others around them and have
a stronger need to fit in and be accepted.

• Behaviour is ultimately guided by social cues of those around them.

• More likely to engage in strategic use of social media in attempt to validate

their self-concept and manage their self presentation.

• May do and say something that is in conflict with their true beliefs in order
to do the right thing in specific social settings.

• Also likely to have more social media accounts, followers and ‘friends’
compared to low self monitors.
SELF PRESENTATION
HIGH AND LOW SELF MONITORS
Low Self Monitors
• Concerned with genuineness, even if it means being the odd person in
the room or standing out from the crowd.

• Guided by their own true feelings and beliefs in any social situation, even
when it sets them apart from the crowd.

• Tend to have fewer, but closer friends.

• Have less engagement on social media and refrain from using this as a
means of validation and self-presentation.

• More likely to have less social media accounts and less ‘friends’ and
followers.

• Value congruence between their attitudes and their behaviour, which is

true to their genuineness.
Impression Management
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
Managing our own impression of ourselves to others.

• Managing your image not only aids in leaving a lasting

impression on others, but it also helps in attaining goals and
being successful in a range of situations, for example, being
accepted by peer groups, securing likes on social media and
facilitating social interactions.

• Impression management is key to reinforcing and validating

our self-concept through our engagement with self-
presentation to others both face to face and online.
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

• People forming impressions of us

• Present who we are to others
• Also through verbal and non-verbal communication
• Impressions may be different depending on audience
• Aims to make people like us
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
• Often make assumptions about things such as personality,
work ethic, likes and dislikes.

• Usually the negative behaviours/impressions of someone are

more dominant in our minds.

• Many factors that contribute to the impression and

perception we form of others (may also be bias and
inaccurate):
• Verbal communication
• Non-verbal communication
VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Content of what a person says

• Impression formed depends on the context of which it is

said i.e. using slang is fine at home however may form
negative impression if used in job interview.

• Semantic verbal communication: content of what is

said
• Expressive verbal communication: how the content is
said i.e. tone, volume, diction etc.

• Only about 30% of our impressions are formed based on

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
The methods we use to present information without using
spoken words.

Distance: Person who seems friendly > stand closer to people. Person who
stands away from someone > don’t want to be close > not as friendly
Gestures: Nodding, open palms > indicate you are listening and open
Open/closed posture: Upright posture > confidence. Hunched posture > unsure
Eye contact: Depends on context. Can indicate strong relationship/listening
however can also be used to make someone uncomfortable. Lack of eye contact
> uninterested/shy.
Facial expression: Depending on wether a person smiles/frowns impacts on
impressions formed of them
Physical appearance: Clothing, hairstyle, make up and physical attractiveness all
contribute to impression formation
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
FIRST IMPRESSION FACTORS
• The primacy effect refers to the phenomenon where information received at
the beginning carries more weight than the information that follows.

• The first impression is generally hard to adapt therefore when the individual is
provided with additional information, they tend to be drawn to the information
that supports their first impression.

• In contrast, the recency effect refers to the phenomenon where the most
recent information received carries more weight than information received prior.

• Many social psychologists have found that people who are described by positive
traits, followed by negative traits, are often evaluated negatively, whereas when
they were described with negative attributes followed by positive attributes, the
were evaluated positively.
IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
FIRST IMPRESSION FACTORS
• Schemas: refers to our internal template of what we know and what to expect in
any given situation.

• It informs our thinking, how we interpret information, what we take in and the
memories we form, alongside categorising information to enable us to access
information quickly.

• Imagine your friend asks you to meet them at the park to walk their pet Husky,
using the schema you have developed around various dog breeds, it is likely that
you will not be shocked when you get there and see their husky as it matches what
you expected it to be.

• Can also compromise our ability to change or adapt our existing schema therefore
influencing our be-haviour and attitudes based on flawed beliefs and
expectations.
Social Media
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
SOCIAL MEDIA BENEFITS
• No question that social media (SM) has changed the way young people
engage and communicate with one another.

• The negative implication of social media is often the one story we hear
most, however, it is important to consider the opportunities such platforms
can provide.

• Prosocial behaviour encompasses helping behaviour, altruism, and

cooperation. Wright and Li (2011) found a strong positive correlation
between engagement in SM with pro-social behaviours and a negative
correlation between gaming and online pro-social behaviours.

• Interestingly, some researchers have proposed that engaging in online

gaming requires the player to work collaboratively with a team to achieve a
mutually beneficial outcome. This has long term benefits allowing
SOCIAL MEDIA BENEFITS

• Emerging research shows that social media plat-forms, such as Facebook,

Snapchat, blogging and Instagram amongst others, have been found to
strengthen young people’s existing interpersonal relationships whilst,
providing the opportunity for young people who live in rural and remote
areas to stay socially connected.

• Not only prevents social isolation, but provides an insight to the social
behaviour and expectations of unfamiliar social experiences.

• Could be argued that this form of vicarious learning not only enables the
development of social skills but plays a useful role in helping people to
adapt and function well in novel situations.
SOCIAL MEDIA BENEFITS

• Social media provides an opportunity for individuals to

explore and experiment with their individual identity and
self-expression safely.

• Political views and cultural expression can be tested

through SM with the reaction from others providing
insight to the acceptability of these views. This informal,
yet crucial experience will help to guide people around
the socially acceptable behaviours and ideals.
Mental Health and Social
Media
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL MEDIA
• Increasing research on the use of social media showing a correlation between
SM use and unhealthy peer comparisons.

• A recent survey found that 97% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 have
at least one social media account. Interestingly those suffering from anxiety self-
reported spending approximately 89 minutes more per week than the average
youth in the same age bracket.

• Other studies show a positive correlation between engaging with 3 or more SM

platforms and diagnosed depression and anxiety.

Showing what is happening as the

• Research by Frison et al 2017, found that passive use (simply monitoring others’ brain releases addictive hormones
posts) correlates with depression and lower well-being, whereas active use, during SM use.
(including posting and interacting with other users) correlates with better well-
being and lower levels of depression.
 Depicting prevalence rates of youth mental health.
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, July 2018 – June 2019, n=50,057. Base: Australians 14+
MENTAL HEALTH AND
SOCIAL MEDIA
• No surprise that young people can become obsessed with
how they look and present themselves on social media due
to presentation of unrealistic ideologies of beauty and
success.

• Young people are particularly vulnerable when it comes to

cultivating the ‘perfect’ image leaving them susceptible to a
range of mental health challenges i.e. perfect selfies, filters
etc.

• According to Leary et al, (1994) the need to create a perfect

image on SM is an influential factor why people spend
billions each year on cosmetics products and procedures to
enhance their appearance whilst jeopardising their physical
wellbeing, e.g. sun exposure and excessive dieting.
Ethical concerns with Social
Media
Stage 2 Psychology – Social Influence
ETHICAL CONCERNS WITH SOCIAL
MEDIA
• Social media stakeholders have been criticised for using the individual’s
engagement on all platforms to pre-determine which content will be
released as adds, pop-up content and generally entice on-going
interaction and influence.

• In late 2020 a Netflix documentary called: The Social Dilemma explored

and revealed the extent of SM companies disrespecting their users’
privacy, consent, and most of all, free will.

• Important to remember how poorly monitored social media platforms

are, and the reality that most young people with social media accounts
are not of the age recommended for engagement.