Minority influence Flashcards
What is minority influence
A type of social influence where a single person or small number of people affect the behaviour of a majority
What does it motivate the majority to do
Reject well established norms
What does it lead to
Internalisation
Where are the results of minority influence best seen
From a historical perspective
What behaviours will minority influences have to display
Consistency, commitment and flexibility
What is consistency
Minorities must be unchanging in their opposition to the majority
What is commitment
Minorities must be passionate about changing the beliefs of the majority, and dedicated no matter what
What is helpful in showing commitment
Personal sacrifice
What is flexibility
The degree a minority is prepared to shift their views in order to make them more acceptable to the majority
How can flexibility be persuasive
With compromise and cooperation
What is social crypto amnesia
Behaviour becomes so assimilated into the majority that where the idea came from will often be forgotten
What was the aim of moscovici
To see if a consistent minority could convince the majority to choose an incorrect answer
What was moscovicis sample
172 female participants
What did the confederates do in the consistent condition
Said all 36 slides were green
What did the confederates do in the inconsistent condition
Said 24 slides were green and 12 were blue
How often did real participants agree
8.2% (consistent) and 1.25% (inconsistent)
What did his research show
Consistent minority is more effective
What was an issue with the sample
It was gender bias and cannot be generalised to other populations. Research also shows females to be more likely to conform
How did moscovici deceive ps
They were told they were taking part in a colour perception test and therefore didn’t gain informed consent
