Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Informative social influence is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation.
A type of social influence that leads to conformity. It's when people behave in certain ways to be accepted by others rather than because they believe it's right.
The tendency for individuals to perform differently when in the mere presence of others. This includes performing better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks.