Which of the following is NOT a type of social influence?

The concept of social influence refers to the ways in which individuals change their thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or behaviors to align with those of others. Informational influence occurs when people look to others for guidance on how to think or act, especially in ambiguous situations. Normative influence involves conforming to a group’s expectations or norms to gain acceptance or avoid rejection. These types of influence are well-established in social psychology and illustrate how social contexts can shape individual behavior.

Behavioral influence, while it might seem plausible as a form of social influence because it pertains to changes in actions based on social pressure or cues, isn’t typically recognized as a specific category in the same way that informational and normative influences are.

Cognitive influence, though it may sound like it could fit into the framework of social influence, does not have the same formal recognition in literature as direct influences on behavior or conformity. Instead, the focus tends to be on whether influence emerges visibly through actions or subtly through observed beliefs and norms. Thus, it is more accurate to state that behavioral influence does not exist as a distinct standard type of social influence compared to the others mentioned, which have a clearer presence in social psychology research.