Minority Influence Flashcards
Define minority influence
When the majority change the way they think and behave to be in line with the minority
Why type of conformity did Moscovici think that majority and minority influence lead to ? Why?
Majority influence - compliance
Minority influence - conversion
He believed that minority influence leads people to truly change their private beliefs and views because it leads to careful and creative thought.
This is caused by cognitive conflict between the majority’s current beliefs and the new deviant ideas proposed by the minority.
Define conversion
When individuals change their private beliefs and views because of minority influence but may continue to alter their behaviour, beliefs and views in public so as to avoid being rejected.
What is the difference between conversion and compliance ?
Conversion is deeper and longer lasting. However it is also a slower process and may even being unconscious.
Define social crypto - amnesia
When an individual is not aware of where a new idea has originated from. ( might be a minority viewpoint )
What do minority groups need to be to be convincing?
- committed : joining a minority costs an individual more than staying with the majority. This greater commitment can lead to majority members to take them seriously.
- consistent : consistency leads to people reassessing the situation and considering the issue more carefully.
- flexible : they can’t be rigid because they are less powerful. They must negotiate their position, rather than enforce it. Too rigid = dogmatic. Too flexible = inconsistent
What are the positives of the theory of minority influence ?
- a psychologist researched the role of consistency. He showed groups of six female participants blue slides. In the consistent condition the confederates climbed that the slide was green on every trial, while in the inconsistent trial they claimed it was green on some of the trials. When the minority was consistent the majority followed them on 8% of the trials. When the minority was inconsistent the majority followed them on 1% of the trials. In the consistent condition 32% of participants were swayed by minority influence at least once.
- some psychologists studied the role of flexibility in a stimulated jury situation where group members discussed the amount of compensation due to someone who had been involved in a ski - lift accident. When a confederate put forward an alternative point of view and refused to change his position, there was no effect. A confederate who compromised did exert some influence on the rest of the group. However this was only evident when the confederate comprised late ( flexible ) rather than early ( lack of commitment ) in the negotiations.
- psychologists used chromatic complementary afterimage which is the phenomenon where just after seeing a bright colour a complementary colour will appear. If you see green there is a red / purple afterimage, if you see blue there is a yellow / orange afterimage. Participants were more likely to see a red/ purple after image ( meaning they truly believed the slide was green ) when the confederates who described the blue slide as green were part of a minority rather than a majority.
What are the negatives to the theory of minority influence?
- a psychologist argued that the views of the minority do not necessarily lead to greater processing ; in fact people tend not to waste time trying to process the minority idea. Whereas, a majority idea that is different to our own is processed because we want to understand why people we believe to have similar beliefs to use are expressing a different one.
- a meta - analysis suggests that people who are confronted with a minority viewpoint on important social issues tend to not only resist an appearance of agreement with the minority, but also privately resist agreement as well.
- a study showed that people quickly become irritated with a dissenting view that persists because they fear a lack of harmony in the group. As a result they belittle the dissenting view.
