1. SOCIAL INFLUENCE (Social change) Flashcards
What is social influence in psychology?
Social influence is the process by which individuals and groups change each other’s attitudes and behaviours. It includes conformity, obedience, and minority influence.
What is social change in psychology?
Social change occurs when a society adopts new beliefs or behaviours. This can start with a small group influencing others, leading to wider societal shifts (e.g., reduced smoking, increased recycling).
How does social change typically begin?
Social change often starts through minority influence. A small group draws attention to an issue, creating cognitive conflict, and, through consistency and commitment, the minority’s message spreads, leading to wider acceptance.
What is cognitive conflict in minority influence?
Cognitive conflict occurs when the minority’s viewpoint conflicts with the majority’s existing beliefs. This makes the majority think more deeply about the issue, which can lead to attitude change.
How does consistency affect minority influence?
When minorities are consistent in their views over time, they are more likely to influence the majority. The suffragettes, for example, consistently advocated for women’s right to vote, which eventually led to societal change.
What is the augmentation principle in minority influence?
The augmentation principle suggests that when minorities show commitment by sacrificing for their cause (e.g., suffragettes risking imprisonment), they are seen as more serious, which increases their influence.
What is the snowball effect in social change?
The snowball effect describes how minority influence starts small but spreads as more people consider the minority’s view. Eventually, it reaches a “tipping point” where the minority’s opinion becomes the new majority.
What is social cryptomnesia?
Social cryptomnesia occurs when people remember that change has happened but do not recall how it happened. This can happen after social change, where the process of change is forgotten.
How can conformity research help explain social change?
Asch’s research shows that when a dissenting view is introduced (e.g., a confederate providing a correct answer), it breaks the majority’s unanimity and encourages others to conform to the new perspective, potentially leading to social change.
How can normative social influence drive social change?
Normative social influence encourages change by highlighting what others are doing. For example, health campaigns often inform people that most others do not smoke, which encourages conformity to the non-smoking behaviour.
How does Milgram’s research support social change?
Milgram’s research shows that disobedient role models can reduce obedience. When participants saw confederates refusing to administer shocks, obedience dropped significantly, suggesting that role models can encourage defiance and social change.
What are some limitations of minority influence in social change?
One limitation is that social change through minority influence is often very gradual, and minorities can rarely bring about rapid change. People tend to resist change and maintain the status quo.
How does Moscovici’s research support minority influence in social change?
Moscovici’s study showed that when minorities are consistent, they are more likely to change majority opinions. In his experiment, participants conformed to a consistent minority position 8.42% of the time, showing the impact of consistency.
What is a limitation of deeper processing in minority influence?
Diane Mackie (1987) argues that deeper processing may not always occur in minority influence. Instead, people may process information deeply when confronted by a majority viewpoint, not a minority view.
What is the social norms approach to social change?
The social norms approach encourages change by highlighting what most people are doing. For example, campaigns may show that the majority of people do not drink excessively, encouraging others to follow suit.
