social impact theory

strength- the perceived power/authority of the source

law of diminishing returns

divisional effect

immediacy- closeness of sources and targets

number- number of sources present

multiplicative effect

evaluation

sources and targets

however raises issues of social control

useful practical applications for social engineering: can find the right people for certain leadership roles, ideal number of students to teacher ratio in a classroom

it disregards individuality of the target, targets are not simply passive

sources- influencing

targets- being influenced

strength, immediacy and number all have a multiplicatory effect on target up to a certain point

refers to the number of targets a source is trying to influence – the impact is divided by the number of targets present. There is a diffusion of responsibility.

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the gawking study- Berkowitz and Milgram

craned necks to look up at the sky and without saying anything influenced others to do so, the more people looking up the more influential the action was

reductionist

principles can be observed and quantified- making it easier to study

support from psychological research- gawking study

claims