Informational Influence

What is informational influence?

Informational influence, also called informational social influence, occurs when someone treats information from other people as evidence about the world and adjusts a judgment accordingly.

Research foundation

Deutsch and Gerard’s 1955 paper distinguishes this process from conforming to others’ expectations. Both processes can occur together.

Example of informational influence

A visitor follows another passenger toward an unfamiliar station exit because the passenger appears to know the route. The visitor could separately want to avoid standing out; that would add a normative motive.

Credibility, consensus and uncertainty

Agreement does not establish accuracy. Shared judgments can come from a common error or a shared source. Expertise and credibility are useful considerations when deciding whose information to use. So is independence: ten reviews repeating one source do not provide ten independent observations.

Applications in communication and marketing

An expert explanation, product review or classroom demonstration can give someone a reason to revise a belief. The aim is to provide useful evidence, not merely to surround a claim with agreement. A message’s effect on behavior still depends on the decision and the audience.

Informational vs. normative social influence

• Normative social influence concerns acceptance or avoiding disapproval. Informational influence concerns what the person takes to be evidence. Both can operate in the same situation.