Social change

Question 1

What are the six steps in how minority influence creates social change?

Answer 1

1. Drawing attention through social proof
2. Consistency
3. Deeper processing of the issue
4. The augmentation principle
5. The snowball effect
6. Social cryptomnesia

Question 2

What is cryptomnesia?

Answer 2

People have a memory that change has occured but don’t remember how it happened

Question 3

What are the lessons from conformity research?

Answer 3

Social change is encouraged by drawing attention to what the majority are actually doing
Environmental and health campaigns use this (NSI) by providing info on what other people are doing e.g. “Bin it - other people do”
Seen in Asch’s variation where 1 confederate gave correct answers throughout procedure, broke power of majority encouraging others to dissent. This dissent has potential to ultimately lead to social change

Question 4

What are the lessons from obedience research?

Answer 4

Milgram’s research demonstrates importance of disobedient role models. In confederate teacher refuses to give learner shocks variation, rate of obedience in genuine participants decreased
Zimbardo (2007) suggested obedience can create social change through gradual commitment
Once a small instruction is obeyed, becomes more difficult to resist a bigger one
People essentially “drift” into a new kind of behaviour