Minority influence Flashcards
What are the 3 factors of minority influence?
- Consistency
- Commitment
- Flexibility
What are the 2 types of consistency and what are they?
- Synchronic consistency- all members of the group agree and back each other up
- Diachronic consistency- consistency over time
If the point is:
A strength of minority influence explanation is that there’s research to support it.
What is the evidence, and link?
Evidence- Moscovici’s study found that participants were significantly more likely to conform to a minority if the participants around them were consistent in their view.
Link- This means that being consistent and unchanging in their view as a minority is more likely to influence the majority than if they change their mind.
If the point is:
A weakness of the minority influence explanation is that there is alternative research which suggests the process is a little more complex.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- For example, identification depends on the group. Maas found that when homosexual minority groups were fighting for homosexual rights, it wasn’t as effective as when heterosexual minorities were rallying for homosexual rights.
Explanation- This was due to the heterosexual majority identifying with the homosexual minority group.
Link- This suggests that how minorities are influenced is more complex than originally thought, and may be altered due to the situation.
If the point is:
A weakness of the minority influence explanation is that it could be considered to have low explanatory power.
What is the evidence, explanation and link?
Evidence- For example, in real life, members of women’s rights, gay rights and animal rights organisations are very different from participants in laboratory experiments. They operate in different settings with different constraints.
Explanation- They often face much more determined opposition, are committed to a cause, often know each other, provide each other with considerable social support and sometimes devote their lives to changing the views of the majority.
Link- This implies that this explanation may not be fully representative of real life minority groups seeking to influence the majority.
If the point is:
One strength of the minority influence explanation is that it has practical applications.
What is the evidence and link?
Evidence- For example, minority groups who have brought about change to society consist of: LQBTQ+, suffragettes, BLM, Greenpeace.
Link- This means that the minority influence has been useful to society.
What are the evaluation points for the minority influence explanation?
+ There is research to support it
— There is alternative research which suggests the process is a little more complex
— It could be considered to have low explanatory power
+ It has practical applications
