Minority Influence and Social Change Flashcards
Minority influence
A form of social influence caused by exposure to a consistent minority position
Drivers for minority influence
Consistency, commitment, and flexibility
Consistency
Consistency drives people to reassess the situation and consider other options
Commitment
Commitment is harder to dismiss as it suggests confidence in a position
Flexibility
A degree of flexibility is required in a minority’s approach because it is more effective than a rigid argument
Social change
A phenomenon in which a social group adopts a new belief which gradually becomes widely accepted as the norm
Social change through minority influence
- Drawing attention to issue
- Cognitive conflict
- Consistency of position
- Augmentation Principle
- Snowball effect
Cognitive conflict
Cognitive conflict is when the majority thinks deeply about the highlighted issue,
and compares their belief to what the minority is advocation
Augmentation principle
Augmentation principle is when a minority is more influential if they appear to be willing to sacrifice for their views,
as they are deemed as more committed and thus taken more seriously
Snowball effect
Snowball effect is an initial small effect that spreads more widely until it reaches a ‘tipping point’
Effect of norms
If people perceive something as the norm, they alter their behaviour to fit that norm
Misconception
The gap between perceived norms and actual norms,
Corrected by social norm interventions
