minority influence Flashcards
define minority influence
a minority rejects the established norm of the majority of group members & persuades the majority to move to the position of the minority
how is minority influence different from conformity
conformity is when the majority group influences the minority group
who studied minority influence
moscovici
procedure
- all female group of participants
- given an eye test (not colour blind) = extraneous variable
- placed in group of 4 participants & 2 confederates
- shown 36 slides that were different shades of blue
- state colour out loud
- 2 experimental groups:
1. confederates were consistent & answered green always
2. confederates were inconsistent & answered green 24 times & blue 12 times
–> also control group - no confederates
aim (moscovici’s blue-green slides experiment)
to test the influence of consistency on minority influence
results
consistent group (1) = 8.42% of trials resulted in participants answering green & 32% agreed at least once
inconsistent group (2) = 1.25% of trials resulted in participants answering green
–> 0.25% of control group responses were green
conclusion
participants are more likely to be influenced by the minority when the answers given are consistent
how many behavioural characteristics of minority influence are there & name
3
- consistency
- commitment
- flexibility
definition of consistency
minority must be consistent in their views which will increase interest from others & cause them to rethink own views
definition of commitment
dedication to the cause which increases amount of interest further from other majority group members –> augmentation principle
definition of flexibility
minority needs to not be rigid in their views & see both sides - willing to accept counter arguments
example of consistency
- same beliefs:
1. over time = diachronic consistency
2. between all members of minority = synchronic consistency - eg. suffragettes –> consistent in wishes/beliefs (many years - protested/lobbied to gain vote)
example of commitment
extreme activites
- eg. suffragettes - hunger strikes, chained selves to gates, 1 threw herself under a horse at kings derby
example of flexibility
willing to give/take (compromise)
- eg. suffragettes - agreed to postpone campaigning to help with war effort
describe the snowball effect
- must be new idea for change to occur
- over time, an increased number of people switch from majority position to minority
- the more this happens, the faster the rate of conversion
- psychological shift occurs
evaluation of minority influence - AO3
+)
P: research support demonstrating influence of consistency
E: eg. moscovici et. al demonstrated if minority are consistent, their responses can influence the majority
T: presenting a consistent view is a minimum requirement for minority to influence the majority
+)
P: research support demonstrating influence of flexibility
E: eg. nemeth (1986) used groups of 3 participants & 1 confederate in 2 conditions. in condition 1, the confederate (minority) would show inflexibility by arguing for a low level of compensation for the victim of an imaginary ski lift accident & not changing from that level. in the flexible condition, the majority was much more likely to lower their compensation level closer to the confederates.
T: suggests that being flexible in your response is a requirement for the minority to influence the majority
-)
P: tasks were artificial
E: includes moscovici et. al’s task of identifying the colour of the slide. research is therefore far removed from how minorities attempt to change the behaviour of majorities in real life. in cases such as political campaigning/jury decision-making, the outcomes are vastly important & sometimes a matter of life/death
T: findings of minority influence studies are lacking in external validity & are limited about how minority influence works in real-world social situations
+)
P: research can be used in society to convert majority view
E: eg. martin et. al (2003) presented a message supporting a particular viewpoint & measured participants agreement. 1 group of participants then heard a minority group agree with the initial view while another group heard a majority group agree with it. participants were finally exposed to a conflicting view & their support was measured again. people were less willing to change their opinions if they had listening to a minority group than if they’d listened to a majority group
T: suggests the minority message had been more deeply processed & had a more enduring effect, supporting the central argument about how minority influence works
