Social Influence:
Obedience and Power
Outline
 Obedience
 Assignment 4
 Motivation
 Power bases
Obedience
 Willingness to obey “legitimate” authority
 Example: Milgram obedience studies
 Procedures:
 ‘Teacher’ & ‘Student’: learn word pairs
 ‘Teacher’ required to administer shock to ‘learner’ for
errors
The Milgram Experiments:
Results
 Over 60% punished learners with the
highest shock intensity (450 volts)
Assignment # 4
 Carry out your own conformity study.
 Type up a 1 page description of your study and
your observations.
 Be sure to indicate how your observations relate
to material discussed in the course.
Peer Teaching of Motivation Theories
 Assignment:




 Each group is responsible for teaching the theory to the class
and demonstrating the link to leadership
 Some sort of visual aid is required
Group 1: Need theories
Group 2: Equity theory
Group 3: Expectancy theory
Group 4: ‘Work Design’ theories (Herzberg and Job characteristics
model)
 Group 5: Operant theory
Power
 5 social roots of power (French and Raven)
 Reward power
 Coercive power
 Legitimate power
 Referent power
 Expert power
Reward Power
 Definition:
 Power based on providing and promising a positive
outcome
 Examples:
 “If you brush your teeth every night this week, I’ll take
you to the movies on Saturday”
Coercive Power
 Definition:
 Power based on providing or promising a negative
outcome
 Examples:
 “If you don’t brush your teeth you can’t watch TV”
Legitimate Power
 Definition:
 Power based on the influencer’s right or authority to
make a request
 Examples:
 “I’m your parent and I’m telling you to brush your
teeth now!”
Referent Power
 Definition:
 Power based on identifying with or wanting to be like
another person or group
 Examples:
 “Your big brother Stan always brushes twice a day”
Expert Power
 Definition:
 Power based on special knowledge, skills, or ability
 Examples:
 “The dentist told you to brush twice a day, she
knows best”
Which Base of Power?
Reward
Coercive Legitimate Referent
Expert
 You Drink and Drive… You Lose!
 You can lose your license, time from your job,
and lose money in fines and court costs. If you
are involved in an accident while impaired, you
could face imprisonment for vehicular
manslaughter or homicide.
Which Base of Power?
Reward
Coercive
Legitimate
Referent
Expert
Which Base of Power?
Reward
Coercive Legitimate Referent
Expert
Which Base of Power?
Reward
Coercive
Legitimate
 Uncle Sam Wants YOU!
Referent
Expert
Which Base of Power?
Reward
Coercive Legitimate Referent
 “Four out of five dentists
Expert
recommend sugarless gum for their
patients who chew gum."
Applying Power Tactics
 Using the power tactic given to you, develop a
skit to address the following scenario:
 Assume that a teenager you know is being pressured
to join a gang. Draw upon the course of power
listed on your card to prevent this.