Social Influence L12

Question 1

Minority influence definition

Answer 1

A type of social influence that motivates individuals to reject established majority norms, which is achieved through conversion (the majority become gradually won over to a minority viewpoint)

Question 2

What type of conformity is conversion?

Answer 2

Internalisation as the new belief/behaviour is being accepted both publicly and privately

Question 3

What are the 3 behavioural characteristics of the minority?

Answer 3

1. Consistency
2. Commitment
3. Flexibility

Question 4

Definition of consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority

Answer 4

• The minority will be persuasive if they are consistent (unchanging) with their opinions/behaviour, show confidence in their beliefs, and appear unbiased
• This will cause others to reassess the situation and consider the issue more carefully

Question 5

Who investigated consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 5

Moscovici (1969)

Question 6

What was the aim of Moscovici’s (1969) study investigating consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 6

To see if a consistent minority could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer, in a colour perception task

Question 7

What was the method/procedure of Moscovici’s (1969) study investigating consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 7

• He told 172 female participants that they were taking part in a colour perception task
• The participants were put into groups of 6 and were shown 36 slides which were varying shades of blue
• Participants had to state out loud the colour of each slide
• 2 out of the 6 participants were confederates and in one condition (consistent), the two confederates said that all 36 slides were green
• In the second condition (inconsistent), the confederates said that 24 of the slides were green and 12 were blue

Question 8

What were the results of Moscovici’s (1969) study investigating consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 8

• In the consistent condition, the real participants agreed on 8.2% of the trials
• In the inconsistent condition, the real participants only agreed on 1.25% of the trials

Question 9

What was the conclusion of Moscovici’s (1969) study investigating consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 9

• A consistent minority is 6.95% more effective than an inconsistent minority
• Therefore consistency is an important factor in exerting minority influence

Question 10

What are 4 weaknesses of Moscovici’s (1969) study investigating consistency as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 10

1. Lack of population validity
   - The study was only carried out on women
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2. Lack of ecological validity
   - The task does not mirror an everyday situation
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3. Ethical issues
   - This is because confederates are used
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4. High chance of demand characteristics being shown
   - This is because the study is carried out in a lab setting

Question 11

Definition of commitment as a behavioural characteristic of the minority

Answer 11

• It suggests certainty, confidence, and courage in the face of a hostile majority
• The degree of commitment shown by a minority group is typically larger than individuals staying with the majority
• This greater commitment could persuade majority group members to take them seriously, or even convert to the minority position
• The augmentation principle explains how minorities can change the majority because if the minority is doing something risky but shows commitment, then the majority will pay more interest

Question 12

What research support is there for commitment as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 12

• Xie et al (2011) discovered that you need about 10% of the minority population to influence the majority

Question 13

Definition of flexibility as a behavioural characteristic of the minority

Answer 13

• Mugny (1982) suggests that flexibility is more effective at changing majority opinion than rigidity of arguments
• Because minorities are generally powerless compared to majorities, the minorities must negotiate rather than enforce their position upon the majority
• However, a minority that is too flexible or too rigid risks being seen as either weak & inconsistent or dogmatic (too insistent)

Question 14

Who investigated flexibility as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 14

Nemeth (1986)

Question 15

What was the aim of Nemeth’s (1986) study investigating flexibility as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 15

She investigated the idea of flexibility as a key characteristic of successful minorities who exert pressure

Question 16

What was the method of Nemeth’s (1986) study investigating flexibility as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 16

• Participants were put into groups of 4 and had to agree on the amount of compensation they would give to a victim of a ski-lift accident
• 1 of the participants in each group was a confederate
• There were 2 conditions: when the minority argued for a low rate of compensation & refused to change their position (inflexible), and when the minority argued for a low rate of compensation but compromised by offering a slightly higher rate of compensation (flexible)

Question 17

What were the results of Nemeth’s (1986) study investigating flexibility as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 17

• In the inflexible condition, the minority had little or no effect on the majority
• In the flexible condition, the majority were more likely to also compromise and change their view

Question 18

What was the conclusion of Nemeth’s (1986) study investigating flexibility as a behavioural characteristic of the minority?

Answer 18

It highlights the importance of flexibility & questions the idea of consistency, suggesting that striking a balance between the two is the most successful strategy for a minority to adapt

Question 19

What are 2 strengths of minority influence?

Answer 19

1. There is ‘real value’ of research into minority influence
   - Nemeth (2010) argues that the dissent in the form of the minority group opens the mind, causing people to search for information, consider more options, and make better decisions
   - This allows researchers to understand the means and processes for social change, which links to minority influence
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2. There is research evidence to show that change in minority position involves deeper processing of ideas
   - Martin et al (2003) gave participants a message supporting a particular viewpoint and measured their support
   - One group heard a minority group agree with the initial view whilst one group heard the majority agree
   - Participants were exposed to a conflicting view and their attitudes were measured again
   - Participants were less willing to change their opinions if they had listened to the minority group rather than the majority
   - This shows the power of minority influence in terms of views being more deeply processed and had a more long-lasting effect

Question 20

What are 2 weaknesses of minority influence?

Answer 20

1. Lack of ecological validity
   - In Moscovici’s study, judging the colour of slides cannot be seen as real to life as we don’t usually spend time judging the colour of items
   - Therefore, many of the tasks used in studies lack realism & may not represent how minority influence works in the real world
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2. Although the supporting research has real value, it may not apply to real life situations
   - For example, Nemeth (2010) claimed that it’s still difficult to convince people of the value of the dissent as many people accept the minority opinion on the surface but may become irritated by this view fearing lack of harmony
   - As a result, we attempt to belittle the dissenting view to contain it