REFERENCE GROUPS A person’s reference groups are all the groups that have a direct (face to-face) or indirect influence on their attitudes or behavior. Groups having a direct influence are
called membership groups. Some of these are primary groups with whom the person interacts
fairly continuously and informally, such as family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. People also
belong to secondary groups, such as religious, professional, and trade-union groups, which tend to
be more formal and require less continuous interaction