Social Influence and Social Change

Question 1

What is a social change?

Answer 1

The process by which society adopts a new belief or way of behaving, which becomes widely accepted as the norm

Question 2

How does drawing attention contribute to social change?
How did the Civil Rights Movement draw attention?

Answer 2

Minority groups highlight a problem through social proof, making people aware of an issue

Civil right marches exposed racial segregation in schools, restaurants, and public places

Question 3

What is the augmentation principle?
How was the augmentation principle shown in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 3

When individuals risk their lives for a cause, it increases their influence

‘Freedom riders’ risked violence by challenging segregation laws on buses

Question 3

Why is consistency important in minority influence?
How was consistency shown in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 3

A consistent message and long term commitment make the minroity more influential

Activists persisted in their cause through repeated protests and demonstrations

Question 4

What is deeper processing?
How did deeper processing occur in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 4

When people start thinking critically about an issue, questioning existing beliefs

Many Americans began reconsidering whether racial segregation was justifiable

Question 5

What is the snowball effect?
How did the snowball effect lead to social change in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 5

The minority gains gradual support, until their ideas become mainstream

Martin Luther King and activists gained majority support, leading to the 1964 Civil Rights Act banning discrimination

Question 6

What is social cryptomnesia?
How is social cryptomnesia seen in the Civil Rights Movement?

Answer 6

People recognise that social change has happened but do not remember how it occurred

The South has changed, but some people don’t recall the struggle behind it