Social change Flashcards
Define the augumentation principle.
When the minority present some risk as this shows greater commitment and encourages group members to pay more attention.
Explain the snowball effect.
When overtime people switch from the majoritys to minoritys position and become converted.
List the steps required for social change.
- Drawing attention to an issue. 2. Consistency 3. Deeper processing 4. The augumentation principle 5. The snowball effect 6. Social cryptoamnesia
Explain drawing attention to an issue in regards to social change.
This involves alerting society to the minority groups views and beliefs.
Explain consistency to an issue in regards to social change.
The minority group wanting social change must be consistent in their approach.
Explain deeper processing to an issue in regards to social change.
Attention being drawn a situation causes those who had simply accepted the minority view to begin questioning their own beliefs.
Explain the augumentation principle to an issue in regards to social change.
A minority group member may perform an action to show a willingness to suffer for their cause.
Explain the snowball effect to an issue in regards to social change.
People begin to adapt the beliefs of the social change group as their own.
Explain social cyrptoamnesia to an issue in regards to social change.
Social change occurred and people know change has occurred but can remember how it happened.
Give a strength of social change. (Minority influence explains change).
Another strength is that psychologists can explain how minority influence brings about social change. Nemeth claims that social change is due to the type of thinking that minorities inspire. When people consider minority arguments, they engage in divergent thinking. This type of thinking is broad rather than farrow in which the think actively searchers for information and weighs up more options. Nemeth argues this leads to better decisions and more creative solutions to social issues.
Give a limitation of social change. (Role of deeping processing).
One limitation is that deeper processing may not play a role in how minorities bring about social change. Some people are supposedly converted because they think more deeply about the minorities views but researchers disagree and present evidence that it is minority influence that may create deeper processing if you do not share their views. Ths is because we like to believe that other people share our views and think in the same ways as us.
Give a limitation of social change. (Barriers to social change).
According to researchers, people still resist social change. Eg. Bashir et al. found that their participants were less likely to behave in an environmentally-friendly way because they did not want to be associated with stereotypical ‘environmentalists’. They described environmental activities in negative ways.
