Minority Influence Flashcards
what is minority influence
a type of social influence that motivates individuals to reject established majority group norms
what is conversion
the process by which majorities gradually become won over by a minority viewpoint
what level of conformity is conversion
internalisation because it requires the new belief being accepted publicly and privately
by which type of minority influence does conversion occur
informational (generally)
why does minority influence take longer to achieve than majority influence
because it involves internalisation rather than compliance, therefore people need time to re-evaluate their beliefs in light of new information
by which level of conformity does majority influence happen
compliance
by which level of conformity does minority influence happen
internalisation
what are the three factors important in helping achieve minority influence
consistency
commitment
flexibility
what is meant by consistency in reference to minority influence
minority influence is more persuasive if they show stability in the expressed belief over time as it is reinforced by confidence
what is meant by commitment in reference to minority influence
minority influence is more persuasive if its members are dedicated and willing to make sacrifices for their cause as this suggests certainty, confidence and courage in the face of a hostile majority
what is meant by flexibility in reference to minority influence
minority influence is more persuasive if there is a balance of being able to comprise with other arguments whilst also being a little dogmatic to be able to negotiate their postion
what does dogmatic mean
narrow minded, refusal to consider other options
who studied minority influence
Moscovici et al.
what is the name of Moscovici’s study
the blue-green study
who were the participants in Moscovici’s study
all women, 32 individuals, groups of 6, in each group of six there were four real participants and 2 confederates
what was the procedure of Moscovici’s study
each group shown 36 blue slides with filters varying the intensity of the blue, participants were told to name the colour of the slide aloud
how many conditions were there to Moscovici’s study
3
what were the three conditions in Moscovici’s study
consistent condition
inconsistent condition
control condition
describe the consistent condition in Moscovici’s study
the confederates answered wrongly that the blue slide was infact green everytime
describe the inconsistent condition in Moscovici’s study
the confederates answered that 24 of the slides were green and 12 were blue
describe the control condition in Moscovici’s study
made up of 6 real participants and no confederates
what were the findings for the consistent condition in Moscovici’s study
there was an 8.2% agreement with the minority
what were the findings for the inconsistent condition in Moscovici’s study
there was a 1.25% agreement with the minority
what were the findings for the control condition in Moscovici’s study
each participant called the slide blue everytime
what was the second part to Moscovici’s study
the participants were asked to sort 16 coloured discs into blue or green
what was he procedure of Moscovici’s second study
3 discs were undeniably blue
3 discs were undeniably green
for the remaining 10 discs the participants had to order them and name the point at which it goes from blue to green
what were the findings of Moscovici’s second study for participants who had been in the consistent condition
participants judged more of the discs to be green (had been affected by the minority influence)
what are the conclusions we can draw from Moscovici’s studies
when a minority is more consistent, they have a stronger influence
what did Moscovici do to minimise the effect of confounding variables in his studies
ensured all the participants had an eye test to ensure they were not colour blind
how did Moscovici’s studies involve deception
participants were told it was a test about perception but really it was a test about minority influence
