Interdisciplinary perspectives on social influence

Social influence provides a core theoretical concept and defines lines of research in many disciplines of science, such as social psychology, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, political science and marketing. Even economics, which is based on the theory of rational choice, increasingly recognizes its importance. Social influence is also of interest to researchers focused on computer science, physics and mathematics - the disciplines that build formal models of social processes, for example models of opinion dynamics and models of dynamics on social networks, which are examples of social influence at work. Social influence is also a social process that has numerous practical applications, from persuasion and propaganda, to marketing and social media. Each scientific discipline builds its own models of social influence, and has separate lines of empirical research.

The goal of this conference is to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on the processes of social influence. Speakers will attempt to find common principles related to the way social influence operates, taking into account evidence from various fields of research on this topic.

The conference will focus on the social psychology perspective, however experts in other disciplines, such as economics, marketing, physics, and political psychology will also provide their input. Additionally, the influence in the socio-technical networks such as social media will be an important topic of the conference.

We will attempt to answer some important questions. How is influence acquired? How does it spread? How can it be contained? The conference will also focus on applications of social influence in the areas of marketing, leadership, social entrepreneurship as well as conflicts and political psychology.

March 8, 2018 Thursday

Welcome Reception

13.30 – lunch

14.00-14.05 –  semiofficial opening, Andrzej Nowak

14.05-14.45 – keynote lecture: Willam Crano, Cleremont University: Minority influence

14.45-15.55 – session 1 - Social influence; the perspective of the target

• Social influence from the perspective of the target
  – Andrzej Nowak, University of Warsaw
• Trust and coherence
  – Magdalena Roszczyńska-Kurasińska, University of Warsaw

15.55 – 16.15 – coffee break

16.15 – 17.15 – lectures

• Dynamics and dimensions of trust judgments
  – Karolina Ziembowicz-Lisiecka, Marta Kacprzyk-Murawska, University of Warsaw
• Importance of the topic and the level of influence
  – Mikołaj Biesaga, Lan Bui Wrzosinska
• Trust in regulation of group distributed information processing
  – Agnieszka Rychwalska, University of Warsaw

March 9, 2018 Friday

9.00-9.40 – keynote lecture: Presuation
– Robert Cialdini, University of Arizona

9.40-10.40 – session 2 - Psychology of social influence – compliance, obedience and attitude change

• Social influence on the web: The pique technique
  – Valerie Fointiant, Christian Bastien, University of Lorraine
• Obedience in Milgram paradigm – some more questions, some more answers
  – Dariusz Doliński i Tomasz Grzyb, SWPS University, Wrocław Faculty of Psychology
• Eyewitness testimony and social contagion of memory
  – Romuald Polczyk, Jagiellonian University

11.00-12.40 – coffee break

• The question-behaviour effect in intergroup attitudes research: mere asking about behavior as a social influence technique
  – Katarzyna Byrka, SWPS University, Wrocław Faculty of Psychology
• Preference for consistency as a moderator in the door-in-the-face technique
  – Katarzyno Cantarero, Małgorzata Gamian-Wilk and Dariusz Doliński, SWPS University, Wrocław Faculty of Psychology
• Mental effort, fear-then-relief and mindfulness
  – Sławomir Śpiewak, Jagiellonian Univesity
• Nudging - a way into health, wealth and happiness?
  – Magdalena Kaczmarek, University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena

12.40-13.15 – lunch

13.15-14.35 – keynote lectures

• Business and legal perspectives on social influence processes and outcomes
  – Daniel Howard, SMU University USA
• Social influence: implications for economic theory and policy
  –Paul Ormerod, University College London and Volterra Partners LLP, Londyn

14.35-15.35 – session 3 - Economy, marketing i business

• Narratives and sentiment in macroeconomics (big data approach)
  – Rickard Nyman, University College London
• Social influence in consumer behavior
  – Dominika Maison, University of Warsaw, Department of Psychology

15.35-16.00 – coffee break

16.00-17.30 – lectures

• Micro targeting in social influence
  – Michał Kosiński 
• Interactional justice vs. the paradox of self-amendment and the iron law of oligarchy
  – Jeremy Pitt, Imperial College, Computer Science

March 10, 2018 Saturday

9.00-9.40 – keynote lecture: Jorgen Andersen, CNRS, Centre d´Economie de la Sorbonne, Université Paris 1 Sorbone, Paris: Social influence and financial markets

9.40-10.40 – session 4 - Culture, politics and new [not so new] technology

• Mythic imagination and social influence: the perspective of cultural semiotics
  – Maciej Napiorkowski, University of Warsaw
• Social influence in radicalization
  – Katarzyna Jaśko, Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Psychology
• Broadcasting structures and social influence in the transition from uncertainty of quantum world to objective reality
  – Jaroslaw Korbicz, Center for theoretical physics PAN Warsaw

10.40-11.20 – coffee break

11.10-12.10 – lectures

• The influence of social environment on an individual: the case of workplace bullying
  – Małgorzata Gamian-Wilk, SWPS University, Wrocław Faculty of Psychology
• Compliance in virtual environments: psychophysiological correlates
  – Grzegorz Pochwatko, PAN
• Is it just for humans? Compliance to requests of virtual agents and social robots?
  – Laura Osęka, Justyna Świdrak, Krzysztof Kukiełka, Monika Różańska-Walczuk, Jean-Christoph Giger and Grzegorz Pochwatko:

12.10-12.55 – panel discussion

12.55-13.00 – closing ceremony