Social Change

Question 1

What are the six stages of social change?

Answer 1

1. Drawing Attention
2. Consistency
3. Deeper Processing
4. Augmentation Principle
5. Snowball Effect
6. Social Cryptoamnesia

Question 2

Drawing Attention

Answer 2

If we are exposed to the views of a minority, this draws our attention to it. If their view is different, this causes a conflict which we want to reduce.

Question 3

Consistency

Answer 3

Minorities must express their arguments over time consistently. They must all hold the same beliefs one group. They should then be taken more seriously, truly believing in a specific cause.

Question 4

Deeper Processing

Answer 4

Rather than just accepting the norm, people begin to think more deeply about the issue and change their private beliefs.

Question 5

Augmentation Principle

Answer 5

When risks are involved in putting forward an argument, the minority is taken more seriously. If there is a risk of consequences for minorities, impact is increased.

Question 6

Snowball Effect

Answer 6

Minority influence initially has a small effect but this then spreads more widely as more people consider the issues being promoted.

Question 7

Social Cryptoamnesia

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What are some real-life examples of social change?

Answer 8

The African-American Civil Rights Movement, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Suffragete Movement.

Question 9

How does social change link to conformity?

Answer 9

Asch’s variations demonstrated how a dissenter can limit levels of conformity to the majority. This non-conformity to the majority can lead to social change. Campaigns also often focus on normative social influence to change majority behaviours.

Question 10

How does social change link to obedience?

Answer 10

Milgram’s social support variation found significantly reduced obedience rates. Zimbardo (2007) suggested that obedience can cause social change with gradual commitment. If one small instruction is followed, we begin to obey to bigger ones too.

Question 11

Social Change - Strengths

Answer 11

• Supporting evidence from Nolan et al. (2008) - found that conformity can lead to social change through normative social influence. They hung signs on houses saying most people were reducing their energy usage, which led to a significant decrease in energy usage across the neighbourhood.
• Many examples of social changes taking place - American Civil Rights, suffragetes, Black Lives Matter etc.

Question 12

Social Change - Limitations

Answer 12

• Studies used to explain social influence often have methodological issues.
• Bashir et al. (2013) found that people may not be influenced by minority groups if they behave in a stereotypically negative way. Participants were less likely to be environmentally friendly, as they did not want to be associated with environmentalists.
• Nemeth (1968) argues that social change is slow and indirect. Minority influencers’ roles in social change is limited, and very delayed if it happens at all.
• Mackie (1987) suggested majority influence may create deeper processing, as we like to believe the majority think the same as us. If they do not, this may cause us to think deeper about their reasoning.