Social change

Question 1

What is social change?

Answer 1

This occurs when whole societies adopt new attitudes, beliefs and behaviours

Question 2

What are the 6 stages of social change from minority influence?

Answer 2

1- Drawing attention
2- Consistency
3- Deeper processing
4- Augmentation principle
5- The snowball effect
6- Social cryptomnesia

Question 3

What is drawing attention?

Answer 3

Providing social proof of the problem, creating awareness

Question 4

What is consistency?

Answer 4

Minority members share the same belief and continue to do so over a long period of time

Question 5

What is deeper processing?

Answer 5

Individuals think deeply about the issue

Question 6

What is the augmentation principle?

Answer 6

Deeper thinking that leads to a change (occurs through extreme activities)

Question 7

What is the snowball effect?

Answer 7

More and more people back the minority, until it becomes the majority. Gains attention from the government

Question 8

What is social cryptomnesia?

Answer 8

People remember that a change has occurred, but cannot remember how

Question 9

How does social change arise from dissenting peers (conformity)?

Answer 9

Breaks the unanimity, encourages others to stop conforming

Question 10

How does social change arise from NSI (conformity)?

Answer 10

People follow group norms, and feel the need to be liked, which encourages social change

Question 11

How does social change arise from dissenting peers (obedience)?

Answer 11

Disobedient role models encourage social support

Question 12

How does social change arise from gradual commitment (obedience)?

Answer 12

If people can be encouraged to obey one small instruction at a time, it is harder to resist a bigger one

Question 13

STRENGTH-
I- Research support for normtaive influences

Answer 13

D- Nolan et al aim to see if they could change people’s energy-use habits. Researchers hung messages on front doors- key message was that most were trying to reduce energy use. Significant decrease in energy usage in first group vs control group
E- Shows conformity can lead to social change through NSI- valid explanation

Question 14

LIMITATION-
I- Lack of support for normative influences

Answer 14

D- Foxcroft et al reviwed social norm interventions, including 70 studies where social norms were used to reduce student alcohol use. Researchers found small reduction in drinking quantity and no effect on drinking frequency
E- Seems that normative influence does not produce long-term social change

Question 15

STRENGTH-
I- Minority influence explains change

Answer 15

D- Nemeth- minority arguments cause people to engage in divergent thinking (broad, active info search). Thinking leads to better decisions and creative solutions to problems
E-Shows minorities are valuable as they stimulate new ideas and open minds

Question 16

Limitation-
I- Deeper processing may not play a role in how minorities cause social change

Answer 16

D-Mackie- majority influence creates deeper processing as we believe others think as we do. When majorities think differently, there is a pressure to think about their views
E- Challenges deeper processing in minority influence and cast doubt on validity as an explanation for social change