AS SOCIAL INFLUENCE - MINORITY INFLUENCE

Question 1

Describe minority influence

Answer 1

When the small group of ppl changes the beliefs of the big group of ppl (i.e. the opposite of conformity which is aka majority influence).

Min influence often leads to internalisation

Question 2

Describe Moscovici et al’s research and findings

Answer 2

C1 had 2 confederates and 4 ppts. They were asked to look at 36 slides and identify them as either blue or green. The 2 confederates said the wrong answer 2/3 of the time. Ppts gave wrong answer 8.42% of the time, and 32% of ppts gave wrong answer at least once.

C2 had an inconsistent minority and it fell to 1.25%

C3 was a control and had wrong answers 0.25% of the time

Question 3

Describe what characteristics are needed for minority influence

Answer 3

Consistency: over time the min’s views interest ppl in the maj. Synchronic consistency (all saying same thing) andf diachronic consistency (have all been saying the same thing for a long time). This consistency makes others rethink their own opinions.
Commitment: Some mins do extreme activities to get the attention of the maj, which can put ppl of the min in danger. Maj therefore pays more attention (called augmentation principle
Flexibility: consistency can be -vely interpreted by maj so min should accept logical arguments and be flexible on their opinions.

All leads to deeper processing about the topic in the maj and leads to snowball effect; more and more ppl get converted to the min from the maj, and eventually the min becomes the maj - social change

Question 4

Evaluate min influence

Answer 4

(+) Research evidence e.g. Moscovici et al found consistent maj had greater impact than inconsistent one
(-) Artificial tasks so poor validity
(-) In real life it’s not so simple because maj have money, power etc; real life app. is limited
(-) Moscovici et al only used female ppts; gender bias so not generalisable to everyone