Social Influence Scale for Technology Design and Transformation

Abstract

Contrary to popular belief, social influence encompasses a much more complex area of behavioral science than the explanation offered by those who call all forms of social influence a social norm, peer pressure, or simply social proof. To help scholars and practitioners develop a deeper understanding of social influence, this study presents a measurement instrument for evaluating susceptibility to seven social influence principles, namely social learning, social comparison, social norms, social facilitation, social cooperation, social competition, and social recognition. Each principle is represented by a construct containing six theory-driven items, both positively and negatively framed. Further, the study introduces a social influence research model that describes how the seven social influence constructs are correlated and impact each other. This study extends previous scientific work on social influence by providing research tools that can be used to further study the role of social influence in designing tailored technologies for transformation.