8. Social Influence And Social Change

Question 1

What is social influence?

Answer 1

• the process by which individuals or groups change each other’s attitudes
• includes conformity, obedience and minority influence

Question 2

What are the 6 stages of social change?

Answer 2

1. Drawing attention
2. Consistency
3. Deeper Processing
4. The Augmentation Principle
5. The Snowball effect
6. Social Cryptomnesia

Question 3

What are the strengths of normative influences within social change?

Answer 3

• Nolan et al research supports this, their study showed significant deceases in energy usage in the first group showing a valid explanation
  COUNTERPOINT: Foxcroft et al completed 70 studies which showed a little change in peoples behaviour suggesting normative influence does not always produce a long term social change
• researchers can explain how minority influence brings about social change

Question 4

What is the limitation of Deeper processing?

Answer 4

• deeper processing may not provide a role in how minorities bring about social change
• Nemeth (2009) presents evidence to suggest the majority influence creates deeper processing than minority influence