"The behavior you witness others getting away with will influence you to join in".

Monkey See, Monkey Persuaded « N e u r o n a r r a t i v e

"The behavior you witness others getting away with will influence you to join in".


Excerpts:

The study picks up on the work of psychologist Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion, and progenitor of what’s often referred to as ’The Cialdini Effect’ — in short, the behavior you witness others getting away with will influence you to join in. If you see a parking lot full of shopping carts, you’re more likely to leave yours there too, according to Cialdini’s influential theory.

Why this made me think of the Crying Indian [anti-littering commercial, 1971] is that there’s a lesser known side to the story of this famous commercial. While it’s typically credited as part of a successful anti-litter campaign, there’s also the possibility that it actually encouraged littering. Counter intuitive as it may sound, the littered landscape that made Chief Iron Eyes cry may have also influenced people to litter.

The question is, which norm depicted in the ad holds stronger sway over peoples’ behavior: the injunctive norm (perception of behavior that is or is not acceptable - i.e. littering is wrong and makes Chief Cody cry) or the descriptive norm (perception of behaviors that most people do - i.e. people are littering in an already well-littered environment)? Research shows that both norms influence behavior, but when in conflict, people tend to choose what Cialdini predicts they will — the path of least resistance.

So let’s rewrite the ad… Chief Iron Eyes Cody paddles his canoe to the shore and looks out over a pristine landscape–not even the hint of litter as far as the eye can see. Then, just as he’s tempted to smile about this, someone drives by and throws a Big Mac wrapper out of their car window. The once unscathed greenery is now defaced by a rancid splotch of garbage. The camera pans back to Chief Cody’s face, and — wait for it — he’s crying.

The injunctive and descriptive norms no longer conflict: the message is conveyed that (1) littering is wrong and (2) some irresponsible miscreant just did something wrong by desecrating nature, and making an Italian-American actor who looks like a Native American cry.


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This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.