Psychology of Social Influence
Psychology of Social Influence is a research topic within Sociology and Political Science. Science Explorer counts 10k research works in it since 1950. 32.2% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers explores the impact of social norms, particularly in the context of obedience, tipping behavior, and compliance with requests. It delves into the dynamics of social influence, cultural variations in tipping practices, and the psychology behind adherence to norms and authority. The research also investigates the role of persuasion techniques and service quality in shaping individuals' behavior within societal norms.
- Obedience
- Social Norms
- Tipping Behavior
- Compliance
- Service Quality
- Gratuity
- Restaurant Service
- Milgram Experiment
- Cultural Differences
- Persuasion Techniques
- Research works
- 10k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 3.3k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 32.2% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +3% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Psychology of Social Influence research?
By volume, the United States and France publish the most (359 and 137 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 359 works
- 2 France 137 works
- 3 United Kingdom 109 works
- 4 China 81 works
- 5 Germany 81 works
- 6 Canada 54 works
- 7 Australia 37 works
- 8 India 37 works
- 9 Japan 30 works
- 10 Italy 29 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Psychology of Social Influence research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Cornell University publishes the most Psychology of Social Influence research, followed by Ghent University and New York University.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Cornell UniversityUnited States 9 works
- 2 Ghent UniversityBelgium 6 works
- 3 New York UniversityUnited States 5 works
- 4 Tampere UniversityFinland 5 works
- 5 Uniwersytet SWPSPoland 5 works
- 6 The University of QueenslandAustralia 4 works
- 7 Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamNetherlands 4 works
- 8 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 4 works
- 9 Purdue University West LafayetteUnited States 4 works
- 10 Florida State UniversityUnited States 4 works
Who are the leading researchers in Psychology of Social Influence?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Psychology of Social Influence include Barry M. Staw, Robert J. Sternberg and Roy F. Baumeister.
- 1 Barry M. Staw United States 5.4k citations
- 2 Robert J. Sternberg United States 4.4k citations
- 3 Roy F. Baumeister United States 3.6k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Psychology of Social Influence research done?
The largest centres of Psychology of Social Influence research in 2022–2025 are Paris (France), London (United Kingdom), New York (United States) and Beijing (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Paris.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
Where it is the local speciality
- ParisFR · 33.2 works2.9×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Psychology of Social Influence than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Psychology of Social Influence?
Among universities, judged by research, Cornell University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell UniversityUnited States | 0.0 | 28.4% | 6.7× | 9 | -2.6% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Psychology of Social Influence research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 3% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2024. The fastest-growing topics are Psychology of Social Influence.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.