Minority Influence Flashcards
How does minority influence society?
Society = developing, changing + innovating bc minority influences
What are the four behavioural styles Moscovici said minorities should adopt if they want to evoke change and become more influential?
- Consistency (over time + between members)
- Investment (significant personal/ material sacrifice)
- Autonomy (no ulterior motives, not manipulated by other forcers)
- Rigidity (not too dogmatic but consistent)
What was Moscovi’s analysis?
Developed conflict model = because people are diff. + conflict our perspective - provokes conversion bc it draws attention
Propose minority influence = qual. different from maj. influence Majority = primarily induces compliance (public conformity) through comparison processes (low attention to the issue)
Whereas, minority causes private change through cognitive conflict + restructuring through validation processes (high attention to the issue)
What is the evidence for Moscovi’s analysis?
Moscovici et al. (1969) = 4 Ps, 2 confeds.
Procedure = colour perception task, blue sides varying in intensity.
Consistent condition = confeds. called all slides green
Inconsistent condition = confeds. called 2/3rds of the slides green, other blue.
Results = control (0.2% said green slides) inconsistent (1.1%), consistent (8% Ps called it green).
What did Moscovici et al. (1946) find on colour thresholds?
Alleged second test = diff. experimenter doing a standard test of colour discrimination.
Ps tested alone w/ green + blue slides. At what point do they say the slides are green bc of minority influence.
Results = both experimental groups had a lower threshold for green vs controls. Shows lasting effect of the minority, public behaviour AND private cognitive changes = conversion process.
What happened in Moscovici & Lage (1976) study?
Compared minority and majority influence
Minority conditions:
* two consistent minority (2 confederates; 4 naive)
* inconsistent minority (2 confederates; 4 naive)
* A single consistent confederate
Majority conditions:
* Unanimous majority (3 confederates; 1 naïve)
* two consistent confederates
* Non-unanimous majority (4 confederates; 2 naïve)
What did Moscovici & Lage (1976) show about minority influence?
Replicated minority influence response
Overt responses:
* consistent minority (2 confederates; 4 naive) = 10% changed to green
* inconsistent minority (2 confederates; 4 naive) = < 1% green
* A single consistent confederate = 1% green
Only consistent minority condition = changed Ps colour thresholds
What did Moscovici & Lage (1976) show about majority influence?
Unanimous majority (3 confederates; 1 naïve) = 40% green
Two consistent confederates = 10%
Non-unanimous majority (4 confederates; 2 naïve) = 12%
What is Conversion theory (1980)?
Proposed by Moscovici = attention to arguments leads to private acceptance down the line
latent (time) + indirect effect = may not effect an opinion they are aiming to change, but a related opinion they are trying to change
What does Perez & Mugny’s study (1987) show about latent and indirect effects?
Exposure to pro-abortion message portrayed = majority or minority position
Ps = Female, Spanish high school students
Measures = attitudes towards abortion + birth control
Results:
- no minority influence on attitudes toward abortion
- Increase in support for birth control! (indirect change on a related issue)
What does Alvaro & Crane (1997) show about latent and indirect effects?
Exposure to a position advocating that gay people
serve in the military in the US portrayed = majority or minority opinion
Results:
- Minority influence = no change on related attitudes
- Minority influence increased opposition to gun control! (indirect change on a related issue
What does Moscovici & Personnaz (1980) show about latent and indirect effects?
Blue-green slide paradigm = how profound the perceptual change can minority influence achieve
Exposure to consistent minority = after-image effects
Results:
Minority influence = effects at new levels
Controversial and hard to replicate
What does Wood et al. (1994) show about minority influence?
Meta-analysis of over 100 studies on minority influence.
Found:
Mins. = less persuasive than maj. on direct measures
Mins. = no diff. in their capacity to influence indirect measures compared to maj.
Mins. = more persuasive in influencing vs control conditions
Suggests that minorities = agents of change
What is the processes of minority influence and majority?
Inconsistently supported:
Systematic = knowledge based, deep
Heuristic
Research shows this is too reductionist:
minority = systematic processing
majority = heuristic processing
What is the Source-context elaboration model?
Martin & Hewstone (2008) = alternative account of how minority + majority influence occurs at a cognitive level
Elaboration = thinking about the message (relevance to us)
* diff. situations allow/ encourage more/less elaboration (e.g.,personal relevance)
Low elaboration > heuristic = Favours majority
High elaboration > systematic processing = Favours neither
Intermediate elaboration > Conversion theory= systematic processing of minority view
