Minority Influence

Question 1

what is minority influence

Answer 1

a form of social influence in which a minority of people persuades others to adopt their beliefs

Question 2

what are the 3 factors that affect minority influence

Answer 2

• consistency
• commitment
• flexibility

Question 3

explain how consistency affects minority influence

Answer 3

• most effective is the minority keeps the same beliefs over time
• this draws attention to the minority view

Question 4

explain how commitment affects minority influence

Answer 4

• minority influence is most pwerful if the minority demonstrates dedication to their position

Question 5

explain how flexibility affects minority influence

Answer 5

• relentless consistency could be counter productive
• if the minority show compromise minority influence is effective

Question 6

who researched the role of consitency in minoriy influence

Answer 6

moscovci

Question 7

procedure

explain research into the role of consistency in minority influence

Answer 7

moscovici

• female participants given eye tests
• they were then tested in groups of 6 which each had four participants and two confederates
• eachparticipant was asked to judge he colour of 36 slides, which were all shades of blue
• there was 3 conditions:
  1. confederates were consistent in their responses, saying the slide was green every time
  2. confederates were inconsistent, saying green 24 times and blue 12 times
  3. no confederates

Question 8

moscovici

what were the findings of the research into the role of consistency on minority influence

Answer 8

• condition 1- 8.4% of participants called the slides green
• condition 2 - 1.25% of the participants called the slides green
• condition 3 - 0.25% of participants called the slides green

Question 9

when does the augmentation principle happen and explain what it is

Answer 9

• happens when the minority demonstarte dedication to their position, particularly when they are seen to suffer
• this causes the minority to be more powerful and shows they arent acting out of self interest

Question 10

strength

give a PEELH for minority influence

Answer 10

• P - supporting evidence for the role of consistency
• Eg - moscovi
• Ex - this suggests consistency makes the minority more influential by frawing attention to their position
• L - this supports consistency as a key factor in minority influence, increasing the validity of the explanation
• H - the minority had no real consequences for their beliefs which isnt always the case in real life

Question 11

limitation

give a PEELH for minority influence

Answer 11

• P - supporting evidence uses artififical tasks
• Eg - moscovivis blue slides study was unrealistic and doesnt reflect the complex decisions minoroties face in real life
• Ex- this means findings from such studies lack ecological validity
• L - therefore, may not be generalisable
• H - despite the artifical nature of the task, the study was hughly controlled which increases its internal validity and allows researchers to clearly isolate the effects of consistency