Social Influence: Minority Influence

Question 1

What is minority influence?

Answer 1

Refers to how one person or small group influences beliefs and behaviour of other people

Question 2

What does minority influence lead to?

Answer 2

Leads to internalisation where both public and private beliefs are changed

Question 3

What are the three processes of minority influence?

Answer 3

• Consistancy
• Commitment
• Flexibility

Question 4

What is consistancy?

Answer 4

Always doing the same thing and it makes other people rethink their own views

Question 5

What are the two types of consistancy?

Answer 5

-Synchronic
- Diachronic

Question 6

What is synchronic consistancy?

Answer 6

Minority all say the same thing

Question 7

What is diachronic consistancy?

Answer 7

Minority have all been saying the same thing for some time now

Question 8

What is commitment?

Answer 8

Showing deep involvement and helps to gain attention

Question 9

What is augmentation principle?

Answer 9

Minority take part in risky activities so majority pay even more attention

Question 10

What is flexibility?

Answer 10

Showing willingness to listen to others, balance with consistancy so they dont appear rigid

Question 11

What does Nemeth argue in regards to minority influence?

Answer 11

Being consistant and repeating the same behaviours can be off putting so their view should be open to adaptation or accept counterarguments

Question 12

What is the snowball effect?

Answer 12

Over time the majority is converted and there is a switch from the minority to the majority, the more this happens the faster the rate of conversion

Question 12

How is the minority view processed?

Answer 12

Deeply processed because it is new and unfamiliar

Question 13

What is the strenght of minority influence that suggests there is evidence supporting consistancy?

Answer 13

• Moscovici et al found a consistant minority opinion had a greater effect on other people than inconsistant
• Wood et al conducted meta analysis of almost 100 similar studies and found consistant minorities were most influential
• Confirms that consistancy is a major factor in minority influence

Question 13

What does Moscovici suggest as strength of minority influence?

Answer 13

Consistant minority opinion had greater effect on other people than inconsistant opinion

Question 14

What does Wood et al suggest as a strength of minority influence?

Answer 14

Conducted meta analyisis of almost 100 similar studies and found that consistant minority influence was more influential

Question 15

What is the strength of minority influence that suggests research shows the role of deeper processing?

Answer 15

• Martin et al gave ppts a message supporting a particular viewpoint and measured attitudes
• They then heard endorsement from either majoirity or minority and those who heard minority were less likely to change their opinions to the conflicting view
• Minority message had been processed more deeply

Question 16

What did Martin et al suggest as a strength of minority influence?

Answer 16

Ppts were given a message supporting a particular viewpoint and then measured attitudes, they then heard either minority or majority endorsement and those who heard minority were less likely to change their opinions to conflicting message showing deeper processing

Question 17

What is the limitation that suggests minority influence research often involve artificial tasks?

Answer 17

• Moscovici’s task was to identify colour of slide, this is different to how minorities try to change opinion in the real world
• In jury decision making, for example, outcome is important and can be matter of life or death
• Lack of external validity and have limited application to real life

Question 18

What is the debate around minority influence?

Answer 18

• Agreement with minority in Moscovici’s study was only 8% so it may not be useful concept
• However, more ppts agreed with minority when writing answers down so those who go public must be tip of the iceberg and hold their views strongly
• Valid and can cause permenant conversion

Question 19

Who are the key thinkers in minority influence?

Answer 19

Nemeth
Moscovici et al
Wood et al
Martin et al

Question 20

What are the titles of the evaluations in minority influence?

Answer 20

• Research supporting consistancy
• Research supporting deeper processing
• Often involves artificial task
• Debate over usefulness of concept