Social Change

Question 1

What is a social change?

Answer 1

When a whole society changes and adopts new beliefs/ways of behaving which then becomes the norm

Question 2

What is social change usually a result of?

Answer 2

Minority influence

Question 3

What can we learn about social change from conformity research?

Answer 3

Asch’s experiment which had 1 dissenter caused the conformity rate to drop

Social change is encouraged by drawing attention to what the majority is doing

Question 4

What can we learn about social change from obedience research?

Answer 4

Milgram’s research showed one disobedient person causing obedience rates to fall

Social change happens when a disobedient person takes the correct decisions that other will follow

Question 5

What did Zimbardo (2007) suggest about social change?

Answer 5

Obedience can cause social change through the process of gradual commitment:

Once a small instruction is obeyed, it becomes increasingly difficult to resist further instruction

Question 6

What can we learn about social change from minority influence?

Answer 6

Moscovici’s research demonstrated needs to be committed, flexible and consistent to bring social change

If hearing something new, majority may think about it especially if minority is passionate and consistent

Question 7

What happens once some people from the majority start siding with the minority?

Answer 7

The snowball effect

Question 8

What is the snowball effect?

Answer 8

Over time, increasing numbers switch from the majority to the minority until the minority becomes the majority

Question 9

What are the 6 steps of social change?

Answer 9

1. Draw attention to the issue
2. Consistency of position
3. Deeper processing (caused by 1 & 2)
4. Augmentations principle (Wow factor)
5. Snowball effect
6. Social cryptoamnesia

Question 10

What is the augmentation principle?

Answer 10

If the minority are willing to suffer for their argument, they are taken a a lot more seriously

Wow factors catches majority attention and supports minority’s commitment

Question 11

What is social cryptoamnesia?

Answer 11

Majority knows that social change occurred but source of change and message itself is forgotten

PEOPLE DON’T RECALL HOW THE CHANGE HAPPENED

Question 12

Why might society undergo cryptoamnesia?

Answer 12

May be because the laws changed and people don’t usually think about how laws came to be

Question 13

What are the strengths of the role of social influence processes in social change?

Answer 13

Research evidence - Nolan (2008)

Question 14

What was Nolan’s study (2008)?

Answer 14

Hung messages outside doors of San Diego every week for a month

2 types of messages:
- just saving energy
- other residents saving energy

One talking about other residents caused more people to decrease energy usage

CONFORMITY CAN LEAD TO SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH Normative Social Influence

Question 15

What are the weaknesses of the role of influence processes in social chnage?

Answer 15

Minority influence usually indirect and delayed

Some barriers in social change

(Both make it harder to study social change)

Question 16

How is social change indirect and delayed?

Answer 16

Nemeth (1986) proposed this
Suggests minority influence is indirect as majority are only influenced by matters at hand - not the issue itself

Delayed as effects may not be seen for some time
Difficult to measure in a scientific setting as social change doesn’t happen straight away

Question 17

How are there barriers to social change?

Answer 17

Bashir et al (2013) - participants less likely to behave in environmentally friendly way as they didn’t want to be associated with environmentalists stereotyped as tree huggers.

Social change only happens if minority influence isn’t associated with negative/extremist stereotypes which are hard to shift

MAKES SOCIAL CHANGE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO STUDY