minority influence

Question 1

what three things are needed for minority influence and what are there definitions

Answer 1

• consistency = makes others rethink their own views.
• flexibility = accept reasonable counter arguments. Being too rigid can make the minority seem irrational. If they are flexible then more likely to be seen as reasonable
• commitment = helps gain attention. Activities must create some risk to the minority to demonstrate commitment to the cause. When the minority has so much passion and confidence in their point of view it suggest to the majority that their view point just somehow be valid

Question 2

outline Moscovici’s key study

Answer 2

• female participants told they were taking part in a colour perception task
• shown 36 slides which were all varying shades of blue. Had to state each colour of slide
• 2 confederates
• consistent condition = confederates said that all 36 slides were green . Participants agreed on 8.2%of trails
• inconsistent condition = confederates said that 24/36 of the slides were green. Particulars only agreed on 1.25% of trails
• a consistent minority is more effective than an inconsistent minority and that consistency is and important factor in minority influence

Question 3

explain supporting research as a strength of the importance of consistency

Answer 3

• wood conducted a meta analysis of 100 studies and found that minorities seen as being consistent were most influential

Question 4

what is a limitation of minority influence

Answer 4

• the use of artificial tasks
• Moscovici’s task isn’t how minorities try to change majority opinion in real life
• lacks external validity and mundane realism in his minority works in real life
• low ecological validity

Question 5

explain the 6 things that are needed for minority influence to cause social change

Answer 5

1. Drawing attention to an issue: minorities can bring about social change by drawing attention to an issue
2. Creating a conflict: minorities create a conflict in the minds of the majority between what they currently believe and what the minority believe
3. consistency: social change is more likely when the minority is consistent in their position
4. the augmentation principle: if a minority appears willing to suffer for their views, they are taken more seriously
5. the snowball effect: minority influence initially has a small effect but this spreads more widely until it eventually leads to large scale social change
6. social cryptomnesia: people have a memory that change has happened but don’t remember how it happened. No memory of events that led to change

Question 6

what is a limitation of social change

Answer 6

• minority influence is only indirectly effective in creating social change
• Nameth suggests the effects of minority influence are indirect and delayed
• it took decades for attitudes against drink-driving and smoking to shift

Question 7

What does Kruglanski say in response to moscovici’s study and findings

Answer 7

• argues that this is the aim of terrorism
• the persistent suicide bombings by Palestinian terrorists are designed to effectively demonstrate the commitment to overthrowing Israeli occupation

Question 8

What is a further problem with Moscovici’s study

Answer 8

• all female participants

- gender bias

Question 9

What other real life application can support minority influence

Answer 9

The suffragette movement

Question 10

What does Mackie argue

Answer 10

That in real life, change brought about by minorities in rare

Question 11

Methodological issue with Moscovici’s study

Answer 11

• reliance on artificial tasks and stimuli
• lacks mundane realism
• tasks do not reflect the scenarios which minority groups would act in real life
• findings are likely to lack ecological validity