Social Influence And Social Change Flashcards
What is the strength of social change
There is research support for role of NSI in social change by Nolan 2008 and he investigated whether majority influence led to a reduction in energy consumption in a community which shows that conformity can lead to change through the operation of NSI
What was Nolans 2008 procedure for social change
the researchers hung messages on the front doors of houses in San Diego, California every week for one month. The key message was that most residents were trying to reduce their energy usage.
As a control, some residents had a different message that just asked them to save energy but made no reference to other people’s behaviour.
What were the findings of Nolans 2008 study
Findings showed significant decreases in energy usage in the group that were informed ‘most residents’ were trying to reduce energy usage. Therefore conformity can lead to change through the operation of NSI
What is a limitation of social change in terms of minority influence
Minority influence is only indirectly effective in creating social change.
➔ Nemeth (1986) suggests the effect of minority influence are indirect and delayed. It took decades for attitudes against drink-driving and smoking to shift.
➔ Using minority influence to explain social change is limited because it shows that effects are fragile and its role in social influence narrow.
What is a limitation of social change in terms of deep processing
The nature of deep processing has been questioned as Moscovici suggested that minority influence causes individuals to think deeply - this is a different cognitive process from minority influence. Mackie (1987) disagrees, arguing that minority influence creates deeper processing if you do not share views. Therefore the central element of minority influence may be incorrect
What is a limitation of social change in terms of methodology
There are methodological issues as explanations of social change rely on studies from Asch, Milgram
and Moscovici.They can be evaluated in terms of methodology - artificial nature of tasks, does this reflect real life?This criticisms apply to the evaluation of explanations for the link between social influence and social change.
What is the limitation of social change in terms of identification
That Identification is overlooked. Bashir et al (2013) suggest people are less likely to behave in environmentally friendly ways because they wanted to avoid a label of being minority environmentalists. Suggests that being able to identify with a minority group is just as important as agreeing with their views in terms of changing behaviours.
