minority influence Flashcards
1
Q
minority influence
A
- where one person or small group influences the beliefs & behaviours of other people
- overtime, increasing n. of people switch from the majority to the minority
- they become ‘converted’ & behaviour is ‘internalised’
- the more this occurs, the faster the rate of conversion ( ‘snowball effect’ )
2
Q
MOSCOVICI’S STUDY
A
- Moscovici et al. (1969) conducted a study where 6 people were asked to view a set of 36 blue-coloured slides, which varied in intensity, & then state which were blue or green
- in each group were 2 confederates who consistently said the slides were green
- the true ppt. gave the same wrong answer (green) on 8.42% of the trials
- a second group had an inconsistent minority (confederates said green 24 times & blue 12) > agreement w/ green fell to 1.25%
- a third control group had no confederates and all ppts. had to do was identify the colour > they got this wrong 0.25%
3
Q
consistency
A
- refers to the way in which minority influence is more likely to occur if the members share the same belief & retain it over time
- draws attention of the majority to the minority
- consistency takes the form of agreement in the minority
- synchronic consistency + everyone agrees on the same thing / consistency over time
- diachronic consistency = say the same things for some times
- this makes the majority rethink their views
4
Q
commitment
A
- minority influence is more likely to occur if the minority shows dedication to their position
- by doing so, the majority pay more attention (augmentation principle)
- usually involves some form of personal sacrifice, which shows the minority is not just acting out of self-interest
5
Q
flexibility
A
- the minority need to be willing to compromise so they are not seen as rigid & unreasonable
- lack of flexibility could be off putting to the majority
- minority need a balance between consistency & flexibility
