minority influence

Question 1

consistency

Answer 1

consistency in minority’s view increase interest from the majority
synchronic consistency - all saying the same thing
diachronic consistency - saying the same thing over a period off time
consistency = majority rethink their views

Question 2

commitment

Answer 2

minorities engage in extreme activities or sacrifices that draw attention to there views from the majority
augmentation principle

Question 3

flexibility

Answer 3

Nemeth 1986
consistency is not the only important factor as it can be interpreted negatively .
being extremely consistent can be seen as dogmatic and inflexible. this off putting and the majority are unlikely to convert to a minority position .
minority have to be flexible and ready to adapt and compromise .

Question 4

minority influence

Answer 4

a form of social influence in which a minority group persuade others to adopt their beliefs attitudes or behaviours .
leads to internalisation or conversion in which private and public attitudes are changed.

Question 5

snowball effect

Answer 5

over time an increasing amount of people switch from the majority position to the minority position . the more this happens the water the rate of the conversion .

Question 6

research support for consistency
strength

Answer 6

Moscivci et al
showed that a consistent minority opinion had a greater effect on other people than an inconsistent opinion
Wood et al 1994
carried out a meta analysis of almost 100 studies and found that minorities who were seen as being consistent were most influential
- suggest that consistency is a major factor in minority influence

Question 7

artificial tasks
weakness

Answer 7

tasks involved such as identifying a colour of a slide are just as artificial as aschs line study .
research is therefore far removed from how minorities attempt mot change majorities in real life .
in jury descion making and political campaigning the outcome of the event is often more important and can be a matter of life or death .
- findings of moscovici et al are lacking external validity an are limited in what minority influence works in real life.

Question 8

research support for internalisation
strength

Answer 8

in a variation of moscovivs blue green slide study participants were allowed to write their answers down , so their responses were private , rather than stated out loud .
private agreement with the minority position was greater in these circumstances . it appears that members of the majority were being convinced by the minoritys argument and changing their own views , but were reluctant to admit to this publicly .
moscovci thought that this was probably because they didnt want to be associated with a minority position for fear of being awkward or being considered radical.

Question 9

moscivci research
blue and green study

Answer 9

how individuals or small groups can influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours of the majority.
“Blue-Green Study.” Participants were shown a series of slides that varied in shades of blue and were asked to identify the colour.
The researchers manipulated the presence of a confederate who consistently labelled the blue slides as green.
The study found that the consistent minority influenced a significant proportion of participants to conform and give incorrect responses, suggesting that the minority’s consistent position influenced the majority’s perception of reality

Question 10

moscivici research
conversion theory

Answer 10

minority influence is most effective when the minority can create internal cognitive conflict in the majority group.
By presenting a consistent and alternative viewpoint, the minority can challenge the established norms and stimulate critical thinking among the majority members.
This process can lead to deeper processing of information and consideration of the minority’s perspective.

Question 11

conversion theory
weakness

Answer 11

Conversion Theory has faced criticism for its limited scope in explaining the complexity of minority influence. It does not account for factors such as power dynamics, social identity, or social norms, which can also influence the effectiveness of minority influence.

Question 12

blue green slides
strength

Answer 12

The study used a controlled experimental design, allowing for the manipulation of variables and the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships.
This strengthens the internal validity of the study and increases confidence in the findings

Question 13

blue green slides
weakness

Answer 13

The Blue-Green Study has been criticised for its artificiality and lack of ecological validity.
The task of identifying the colour of slides in a laboratory setting may not fully reflect the complexities of real-world social influence situations. Therefore, the generalisability of the study’s findings to real-life settings may be limited.

Question 14

conversion theory
weakness

Answer 14

focuses on the cognitive processes involved in minority influence, neglecting the role of emotional and social factors.
Emotions and social dynamics can significantly impact the success of minority influence efforts but are not adequately addressed by Conversion Theory.
this theory can be deemed to be reductionist, due to not taking into accounts other factors that may affect minority influence

Question 15

conversion theory
strength

Answer 15

However, what it does do is highlight the significance of consistency in minority influence. By consistently presenting an alternative viewpoint, the minority can challenge established norms and promote critical thinking among the majority