LS12 - Minority Influence

Question 1

Minority Influence

Answer 1

A form of social influence that motivates individuals to reject established majority group norms, through conversion, where majorities become gradually won over to a minority viewpoint.

Question 2

Conversion

Answer 2

The new belief/behaviour being accepted both publicly and privately i.e. internalisation. Minority influence almost always uses internalisation because mans have to go against the majority.

Question 3

Behavioural Characteristics Of The Minority

Answer 3

Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility

Question 4

Consistency

Answer 4

The minority has to be consistent/unchanging with their opinion/behaviour showing they’re unbiased and confident in their beliefs, encouraging others to consider the issue mor carefully.

Question 5

Moscovici Consistent Research Aim

Answer 5

1969, to see if a consistent minority could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer in a colour perception task.

Question 6

Moscovici Method

Answer 6

She put 172 female pps in groups of 6 (2 confeds), they showed 36 slides of different shades of blue and asked for the colour aloud, in the consistent condition confeds called all green slides, and in the inconsistent condition, the confeds calcalledlled 24/36 slides green.

Question 7

Moscovici Results

Answer 7

8% internalised in the consistent condition and 1% internalised in the inconsistent condition.

Question 8

Moscivi Weaknesses

Answer 8

Ecological Validity

Population Validity

Question 9

Ecological Validity (-)

Answer 9

Doesn’t reflect real life minority influence e.g. jury matter of life and death.

Question 10

Population Validity (-)

Answer 10

Study only had female participants.

Question 11

Commitment

Answer 11

It suggests certainty, confidence and courage against the majority, persuading the majority group members to take them seriously. The augmentation principle explains how minorities can change the majority because by doing something risky the minority is showing commitment and the majority will therefore show interest.

Question 12

Xie Et Al Commitment Research Support

Answer 12

2011, Xie Et Al discovered a ‘tipping point’ where the number of people holding a minority position is sufficient to change majority, 10% of the minority population is needed to influence the majority.

Question 13

Flexibility

Answer 13

Mugny (1982) suggests flexibility is more effective at changing majority opinion than rigidity of arguments, because minorities are usually powerless, and therefore must negotiate rather than enforce their position but they can’t be too rigid.

Question 14

Nemeth Flexibility Research Aim

Answer 14

1986, to prove flexibility is a key characteristic if successful minorities who exert pressure.

Question 15

Nemeth Flexibility Research Method

Answer 15

Participants in groups of 4 had to agree on the amount of compensation they would give to a victim of a ski-lift accident. One of the participants in each group was a confed and there were two conditions:

1. When the minority argued for a low rate of compensation and refused to change their position (inflexible).
2. When the minority argued for a low rate of compensation but compromised by offering a slightly higher rate of compensation (flexible).

Question 16

Nemeth Flexibility Research Conclusion

Answer 16

The inflexible position had no internalisation whereas a lot more people internalised in the flexible position further demonstrating the importance of flexibility.

Question 17

Minority Influence Advantages

Answer 17

Research Support

Research Evidence

Question 18

Research Support (+)

Answer 18

Research argues that the dissent in the form of the minority group opens the mind and as a result people make better decisions allowing research to understand the means and processes for social change, supporting Nemeth.

Question 19

Research Evidence (+)

Answer 19

Martin Et Al (2003) gave pps a message supporting a particular viewpoint and measured their support, one group heard the minority agree, the other heard the majority agree, it was found that pps were less willing to change their opinions if they listened to the majority, showing the power of minority influence.

Question 20

Minority Influence Weaknesses

Answer 20

Lacks Ecological Validity

Nemeth

Question 21

Lacks Ecological Validity (-)

Answer 21

e.g. Moscovici’s study judging the colour of items just a mad abnormal task.