Minority influence

Question 1

What is minority influence?

Answer 1

• Minority influence is a form of social influence wherein members of a majority change their beliefs or behaviour as a result of a persuasive minority
• The minority attempts to change views through informational social influences (using reasoned arguments to convince members of the majority) to change sides/positions, so this is likely to cause internalisation.
• In order to be successful, there are three behaviours a minority must adopt to increase this chance of success.

Question 2

Moscovici (1969)

Answer 2

Aim: To test the effect of consistency.
Procedure:
Findings:
Conclusion

Question 3

Outline Consistency

Answer 3

• In order to get a others to hold a view, a minority must demonstrate confidence it it’s view. If they display a diachronic consistency in their message (consistency over time), then the argument seems more powerful.
• Nemeth (2010), suggests that after all, ther must be a reason as to why a minority is holds the view that it does and sufficiently confident to maintain it overtime and with each other.

Question 4

Outline Commitment

Answer 4

Commitment involves a minority being willing to face a great cost for their views and remain holding them, this (suffering for your beliefs) known as the augmentation principle. This is likely to cause a majority to take a minority seriously, engage with it and/or even convert to its position.
Commitment is important as it suggests certainty, confidence and courage in the face of a hostile majority.

Question 5

Outline Flexibily

Answer 5

• If a minority is seen as totally inflexible in their view (dogmatic I.e. narrow-minded and rigid), then they are unlikely to be persuasive.
• This third behaviour involves the capability of considering valid/justifiable arguments with a slight compromise rather then trying to enforce their position. As suggested by Mugny (1982), flexibility is more effective than rigidity of arguments.
• Despite commitment and flexibility seeming contradictory, in order to seem reasonable and open-minded, as well as holding a clear and stable view, there needs to be a state of equilibrium for effectiveness.