Influence: Science and Practice - Softcover

Cialdini, Robert B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0321011473 ISBN 13: 9780321011473

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon, 2001

Synopsis

Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say “yes” to another's request).

Written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research, Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and in other positions inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say “yes.” Widely used in classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion.

Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.

About this title

About the Author

Robert B. Cialdini is Regents' Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, where he has also been named Graduate Distinguished Research Professor. He received undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate training in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, the University of North Carolina, and Columbia University, respectively. He is past president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology.

He attributes his long-standing interest in the intricacies of social influence to the fact that he was raised in an entirely Italian family, in a predominantly Polish neighborhood, in a historically German city (Milwaukee), in an otherwise rural state.

From the Back Cover

Over a quarter million copies sold!

How does this information make you feel about the book? If, even for a moment, you thought that a proven and popular book might be the one you were interested in, you may have been persuaded by a potent principle of influence—in this case, the principle of social proof.

Have you ever found yourself saying “yes” to a telemarketer or to a child selling candy and then wonder why you have just agreed to subscribe to a magazine that you really aren't interested in or to buy a candy bar that you really don't want? In this revised, updated, and expanded book, not only will you find out what techniques were used to get you to say yes, but you will also learn some worthwhile ways to defend yourself from future requests.

Edition details

• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0321011473
• ISBN 13: 9780321011473
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262