social influence and social change eval

Question 1

Barriers to social change

Answer 1

The research on this spread points to several practical ways in which a minority can influence majority opinion or behaviour. For example it highlights the importance of remaining consistent.
However, there are challenges. Bashir et al. (2013) show how difficult it is for the minority to change the views of the majority. For example, the researchers found that people often fail to behave in environmentally-friendly ways because they view ‘environmentalists’ in negative ways (as ‘tree huggers’ or even ‘weirdos’) and do not want to be associated with such groups.
Despite these challenges, Bashir et al. show it is still possible for minorities to overcome resistance to social change (e.g. by being flexible enough to adapt in order to get a hearing).
This shows that minority influence research can provide practical steps for minorities to promote social change, even when conditions are challenging.

Question 2

Research support for normative influences

Answer 2

One strength is that research has shown that social influence processes based on psychological research do work.
Jessica Nolan et al. (2008) aimed to see if they could change people’s energy-use habits. 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. There were significant decreases in energy usages in the first group compared to the second group this shows that conformity/minority influence can lead to social change through the operation of normative social influence, i.e. it is a valid explanation.

Question 3

Counterpoint However

Answer 3

Counterpoint However some studies show that people’s behaviour is not always changed through exposing them to social norms. David Foxcroft et al. (2015) reviewed social norms interventions as part of the ‘gold standard’ Cochrane Collaboration. This review included 70 studies where the social norms approach was used to reduce student alcohol use. The researchers found only a small reduction in drinking quantity and no effect on drinking frequency.
Therefore it seems that using normative influence does not always produce long-term social change.

Question 4

Minority influence explains change


Answer 4

Another strength is that psvchologists can explain how minoritv influence brings about social change.
Charlan Nemeth (2009) claims social change is due to the type of thinking that minorities inspire. When people consider minority arguments, they engage in divergent thinking. This type of thinking is broad rather than narrow, in which the thinker actively searches for information and weighs up more options. Nemeth argues this leads to better decisions and more creative solutions to social issues.
This shows why dissenting minorities are valuable - they stimulate new ideas and open minds in a way that majorities cannot.

Question 5

Role of deeper processing

Answer 5

One limitation is that deeper processing may not play a role in how minorities bring about social change.
Some people are supposedly converted because they think more deeply about the minority’s views. Diane Mackie (1987) disagrees and presents evidence that it is majority influence that may create deeper processing if you do not share their views. This is because we like to believe that other people share our views and think in the same ways as us. When we find that a majority believes something different, then we are forced to think long and hard about their arguments and reasoning.
This means that a central element of minority influence has been challenged, casting doubt on its validity as an explanation of social change.