1.6 The role of social influence processes in social change Flashcards
When does social change occur?
When societies as a whole adopt new attitudes, beliefs and behaviours
What is the time length for social change to occur?
Continually but at a gradual pace
What is the main driving force for social change?
Minority influence
How does social change by minority influence occur?
- Drawing attention
- Consistency
- Deeper processing
- The augmentation principle
- The snowball effect
- Social cryptomnesia
What anagram can be used to remember the social change process?
- A - Drawing attention -
- Cat - Consistency of position
- Did - Deeper processing
- A - The augmentation principle
- Smelly - The snowball effect
- Shit - Social cryptomnesia
What it meant by ‘drawing attention’ in the social change process?
Highlighting a concern through marches, protests etc
What it meant by ‘consistency of position’ in the social change process?
Repeatedly displaying an unswerving message
What it meant by ‘deeper processing’ in the social change process?
Many people who simply accept the status quo consider the issue further in terms of its unjustness
What it meant by ‘the augmentation principle’ in the social change process?
Minorities take risks to further the cause e.g. Suffragettes hunger strikes
What is meant by ‘the snowball effect’ in the social change process?
A phenomenon gains support as more people switch from a maj position to a min one
What is meant by ‘social cryptomnesia’ in the social change process?
People are aware social change has occurred, but cannot recall a time when it was different or what events led up to the social change
What should the minority influence avoid if they want social change?
Avoid behaving in ways that reinforce -ve stereotypes which can be seen as off-putting to the maj
What has conformity research taught us about minority influence?
In Asch’s unanimity. variation, he highlighted the importance of a single dissenter - broke power of maj so encouraged others to dissent
This dissent can lead to social change - environmental campaigns exploit community processes via NSI - by suggesting others are recycling, other people will feel obliged to out of NSI
What support is there for the role of social influence processes in social change?
- Research supports NSI as process for social change - Nolan et al investigated whether social influence processes led to reduction of energy consumption in San Diego - hung messages on front doors of houses every week for one month - message was that most residents were trying to reduce energy usage - used control group where houses received similar message but w/o reference to other residents’ behaviour - found signif decreases in energy uses in first group - shows NSI can lead to social change
- Combo of idiog and nomth approaches - many social change examples based on case studies (e.g. MLK) so idiog app is taken - lots of research support for processes involved in social change e.g. Asch, Milgram & Moscovici - these take nomoth app to explain human behav under certain social circumstances - combo of approaches makes processes of social change scientifically credible
What reduces support for the role of social influence processes in social change?
- Min influence can prevent social change - Bashir et al investigated why ppl resist social change when they believe it is needed - found some min groups e.g. env activists often live. up to stereotypes associated w such groups - off-putting for outsiders - means maj often does not want to be associated w minority for fear of being stereotypically labeled
- Min and maj influence maybe involve diff levels of cognitive processing - Moscovici believes min viewpoint forces indivs to think more deeply about issue - Mackie argues maj, not min influence causes deeper processing - suggests when maj group acts/thinks in diff way to us, we are forced to think more deeply about their reasons - challenges central element to Moscovici’s min influence theory so may be incorrect expl for social change
