Social Change

Question 1

What is minority influence?

Answer 1

Form of social influence in which a minority persuades others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes or behaviours, leading to internalisation

Question 2

Which three processes are involved in minority influence?

Answer 2

Consistency, commitment and flexibility

Question 3

How does consistency work in minority influence?

Answer 3

When the same message is repeated; consistency in views increases interest over time which may lead to people rethinking their own views

Question 4

Define the two types of consistency

Answer 4

Synchronic consistency = consistency between people in the minority (all are saying the same thing)
Diachronic consistency = consistency over time

Question 5

Describe the procedure of the study into consistency in minority influence

Answer 5

Moscovici et al (1969)
- Ppts were first tested to ensure they were not colour blind; then put in groups of 6 (4 ppts, 2 confederates)
- Asked to state colour of 36 blue slides
- In Condition A, confederates were consistent and called slides green in all trials
- Condition B, confederates were inconsistent; only called slides green 24/36 times

Question 6

What were the findings of the study ont consistency in minority influence?

Answer 6

Control group - only 0.25% of participants reported green slides
Consistent - participants answered green 8.42% of trials, 32% at least once
Inconsistent - participants answered green in 1.25% of trials

Question 7

What is commitment and how does it aid in minority influence?

Answer 7

When minorities engage in extreme activities to draw attention to their views/cause
- important as it demonstrates commitment to their cause ; increases amount of interest from majority

Question 8

What is flexibility and how does it aid in minority influence?

Answer 8

When minorities appear flexible and compromising in their views ; likely to be seen as less extreme and more reasonable & cooperative
- important to balance consistency and flexibility

Question 9

Define social change

Answer 9

When society adopts a new way of behaving which becomes widely accepted as the norm

Question 10

What are the stages in social change via minority influence?

Answer 10

Drawing attention, consistency, deeper processing, augmentation principle, snowball effect, social cryptomnesia

Question 11

Define augmentation principle

Answer 11

When individuals risk their lives; shows they aren’t doing something out of their own interest

Question 12

Define snowball effect

Answer 12

When a small action results in a huge change; the more people who ‘convert’, the faster the rate of conversion

Question 13

Define social cryptomnesia

Answer 13

When people have a memory of a change occuring but not remember how it happened

Question 14

How can social change be applied to Asch’s study?

Answer 14

• ## highlights the importance of dissenter; breaks the power of the majority and encouraged others to dissent

Question 15

How can social change be applied to Milgram’s research?

Answer 15

Demonstrates importance of disobedient role models; when another disobedient confederate was added obedience plummeted

Question 16

What is gradual commitment?

Answer 16

When after a small instruction is obeyed, it becomes more difficult to resist a bigger one so people ‘drift’ into a new kind of behaviour

Question 17

What is a strength of explanations for social change?

Answer 17

Research support - Nolan et al (2008) —> hung messages on the doors of homes in California every week for a month; those stating most of their neighbours were reducing energy usage had a greater change than those simply saying to save energy
- supports the idea that conformity can lead to social change through NSI

Question 18

Give limitations for explanations of social change

Answer 18

-Indirect effective of minority influence —> Nemeth argued that minorités have little influence as social change is rare + slow; suggested minority influence effect is delayed and indirect
- shows minorities may have little influence so explanation is limited
Deeper processing - some argue that majority influence (conformity) has a greater role in deeper processing as we want to think others share our views, so if majority thinks differently we think more deeply about their arguements
- limits the explanation bc a central step in the process of social change is questioned, lowering validity