Minority influence Flashcards
What is minority influence?
One person or a small group of people can influence the beliefs and feelings of the majority.
What is conversion?
A new belief being accepted both publicly and privately , and can be seen as a type of internalisation.
What is consistency?
If the minority keeps the same beliefs, both over time and between all the individuals.
What is synchronic consistency?
Consistency between all the members of the minority group
What is diachronic consistency?
Consistency over time
What is commitment?
More powerful if the minority demonstrates dedication to their position. Shows the minority is not acting out of self-interest
What is flexibility?
Members of the minority need to be prepared to adapt their point of view and accept reasonable and valid counter-arguments
What was Moscovici’s research in 1969?
He wanted to see whether a consistent minority of participants could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer in a colour perception test. 172 female American pts involved. 6 pts were asked to estimate the colour of 36 slides. All were blue. 2 were confederates who called the slides green on all the trials in the consistent condition. In the inconsistent condition, they called the slide green 24 time, and blue 12.
Consistent condition - 8.4% conformity
Inconsistent condition - 1.3% conformity
Is there research to support minority influence?
Moscovici found that pts were more likely to conform if the if the minority were consistent in their view.
However, study can be criticised as it lacks ecological validity, so consistency may not be a keu factor in minority influence in real life situations.
Is there alternative research for minority influence?
Identification depends on the group.
Maas found that heterosexual minority groups campaigning for homosexual rights were more effective than homosexual minority groups campaigning for homosexual rights.
What is the explanatory power of the minority influence theory?
Low. Minority groups are very different than pts in a laboratory experiment.
Are there practical applications of minority influence?
Suffragettes, gay rights movement.
