Social influence and external feedback control in humans

Abstract

This article aimed to describe social influence by elucidating the cognitive, affective, and motivational processes present when an individual is confronted with an influence attempt. We hypothesized that these processes are part of a feedback loop system in an individual, which entails a situation (input), a goal state (reference), a comparator, a selection mechanism, a feedback predictor, and an action (output). Each element can become the target of social influence. We aimed to classify/explain different social influences by how these elements are targeted. Trying to persuade another person with strong arguments (i.e., the “central route,” according to the Elaboration Likelihood Model) denotes targeting the goal state of the affected individual; coercion targets the selection mechanism; and violence targets action. Summarizing, the present framework aims to categorize, order, and explain phenomena in social influence research using a feedback loop framework focusing on the influenced individual.

Need for affect, need for cognition, and the desire for independence

“…The expected associations between NFC and support for secession are mixed. On the one hand, while individuals high in NFC might acquire more information, they might still engage in biased processing of information, be more likely to accept new arguments, new perspectives and, thus, hold more nuanced and ambivalent political preferences [44,56,57]. If individuals were equally exposed to all the views on a matter, one could reasonably expect that individuals who possess a high score in NFC are less likely to possess an extreme opinion.…”