Minority Influence Flashcards
Why does this minority - majority conversion occur?
- Being exposed to a view point different to our own causes cognitive conflict.
- Causes us to think deeper about an issue.
What is consistency?
- If minority maintain a sufficient approach over time then others come to reassess the situation and consider the issue more carefully.
What is Commitment?
- When the minority is dedicated to its position it is hard for others to dismiss and not reconsider.
What is Flexibility?
- The minority being able to consider others viewpoints.
Describe Moscovici’s key study ‘BLUE SLIDE GREEN’.
- Groups of 4 naïve participant (p’s who don’t know aim of the study) and 2 confederates.
- Shown a series of blue slides that varied in intensity of the colour and p’s were asked dot judge the colour of the slides.
- Consistent condition- 2 confederates repeatedly called the blue slides green.
- Inconsistent condition- confederates called the blue slides green 2/3 of the trials and the remaining 1/3 of trails called the blue slides blue.
- Control condition- without any confederates participants called the slides blue all throughout the trials.
What are the findings from Moscovici’s study?
- Consistent minority influenced participants to call the blue slides green on over 8% of the trials.
- Inconsistent minority exerted very little influence and did not differ significantly from the control group.
What were the findings from the disk sorting activity?
- Those in consistent condition judged more of the disks to be green than in the inconsistent condition.
What is some research support for flexibility?
- Nemeth and Brilmayer studied role of flexibility in a stimulated jury situation.
- Group members discussed the amount of compensation to be paid in a ski lift accident.
- Confederate put down an alternative view and refused to change their viewpoint this had no affect on the rest of the group.
- Confederate who compromised and showed some degree of shift towards the majority did exert an influence one the rest of the group.
- Only evident in those who shifted in late negotiations.
What is a limitation in terms of mundane realism in Moscovici’s study?
Lacks mundane realism and ecological validity.
Artificial task - 8% of trials is low success rate so perhaps not strong support for role of consistency.
What is a strength in terms of Moscovici’s study being a lab experiment?
High level of control over variables enabling researcher to establish cause and effect and standardised procedures allows for replication.
What is minority influence?
Requires individuals to reject majority beliefs/ views and adopt those of the minority.
