Social Change Flashcards
1
Q
How does minority influence cause social change? (6 steps)
A
- Drawing attention
- Consistency
- Deeper Processing (activism)
- Augmentation Principle
- Snowball effect
- Social Cryptomnesia
2
Q
What is social cryptomnesia?
A
People are aware that change has happened but the don’t remember how it happened
3
Q
How does conformity cause social change?
A
- Importance of dissent
- NSI - encourage social change by providing info about what others are doing
- ISI - people are willing to believe info if it comes from a reasonable source
4
Q
How does obedience cause social change?
A
- Model of disobedience
- Gradual commitment (foot in the door phenomenon)
4
Q
Summarize the process of change
A
- Minority of people put forward a view that differs from the majority
- Consistent, committed, flexible
- Snowball effect
Views maintained by conformity and internalisation - People become obedient and experience gradual commitment
- Social cryptomnesia
5
Q
What is a strength of social influence on social change?
A
- Nolan wanted to see if they could change people’s energy use habits
- Hung a message on the front door of houses every week for a month
- “Most residents are trying to reduce energy use”
- Control - some residents only had “Save energy”
- Significant decrease in energy usage in the first group compared to control (NSI)
6
Q
What is a weakness of social influence on social change?
A
- Foxcroft reviewed social norms interventions
- 70 studies where social norms approach was used to reduce student alcohol use
- Found only a small reduction in drinking quantity and no change in drinking frequency
7
Q
What is a strength for social influence on social change
A
- Nemeth stated that social change is due to the type of thinking that minorities inspire
- Minority arguments have deeper thinking, with comparisons and information
- Dissenting minorities are valuable because they stimulate ideas when majorities can’t
8
Q
What is a weakness of social influence on social change?
A
- Bashir argues that there are still barriers to social change
- In their research participants were less likely to behave in an environmentally friendly way because they did not want to be associated with typical ‘environmentalists’ and described them in negative ways
