Social change

Question 1

What is social change?

Answer 1

It occurs when whole societies, rather than just individuals, adopt new attitudes, beliefs and ways of doing things

Question 2

Does minority or majority influence create social change?

Answer 2

Minority

Question 3

Is social change sudden or gradual?

Answer 3

Gradual

Question 4

What are the conditions for social change for minority influence?

Answer 4

Drawing attention to the issue
Consistency
Deeper processing
The augmentation principle
The snowball effect
Social cryptomnesia

Question 5

What effect do dissenters have on social change?

Answer 5

Dissenters make social change move likely. Evidence - Asch’s research. One confederate gave correct answers. This broke majority power encourages others to dissent. Demonstrates potential for social change.

Question 6

What effect does majority influence and normative social influence (NSI) have on social change?

Answer 6

Campaigners exploit conformity by appealing to NSI
- Research support for the role of NSI in bringing about social change. They provide information
about what others are doing eg reducing litter by printing normative message on bins(bin it-others do) social change by drawing attention to the majority’s behaviour.

Question 7

What is social cryptomesia

Answer 7

refers to people having a memory that a change occurred by don’t remember how it happened. (People forget how social changed occurred).

Question 8

Evaluation: Weaknesses of Social Change

Answer 8

It has been argued by Nemeth (1986) that minority influence is only indirectly effective in bringing about social change. E.g. it’s taken decades for attitudes against drink-driving & smoking to shift. Social change occurs SLOWLY.