Social influence: Minority Influence Flashcards
What is minority influence?
MI is a form of social influence in which a minority of people try to persuade a majority their belief, attitudes and behaviour.
What are the key factors of MI?
Consistency, commitment and flexibility
What is consistency?
Consistency refers to how MI is effective if the minority keep their same belief overtime as it draws attention to their view.
There are two types:
- Diachronic consistency = consistency over a long period of time
- Synchronic consistency = consistency between the members of the minority.
What is commitment?
Commitment refers to how MI is more powerful if the minority demonstrates dedication to their position. (e.g. personal sacrifices).
- The augmentation principle states that people are more likely to be influenced if they see an action as freely chosen and requiring effort, making the result seem more authentic.
What is flexibility?
Flexibility refers to how Nemeth(1989) argued MI is most effective when the minority are ready to adapt their POV and accept reasonable counterarguments. This because relentless consistency, without flexibility, can come off unreasonable or off-putting.
Explain the process of change
The POC involves ‘deep processing’ which happens when the factores (consistency, commitment and flexibility) occur causing one to think more deeply, eventually leading to conversion.
What is the snow ball effect?
The snowball effect is when the rate of conversion increases. Gradually, the minority view becomes the majority and social change occurs.
Explain Mosco Vinci et al (1968) research.
Aim = Research whether a consistent minority influences majority.
Method = Group of 6 (4 naïve, 2 confederates)
Shown 36 blue slides varying in intensity.
(conditions)
- consistent condition = confeds say all the slides are ‘green’
inconsistent condition = confeds said 24 slides are ‘green’ and 12 are ‘blue’
Results = consistent condition - 8% conformed to the minority
inconsistent condition - 1% conformed to the minority
control group - 0.25% said ‘green’
Conclusion = a consistent minority can influence the majority
Evaluate Minority Influence.
+ Research support for deeper processing.
P: Has research to support the idea of deeper processing.
E: Martin et al (2003). He presented participants with a message of a particular viewpoint and measured their level of agreement. Then each group was presented with a minority view or a majority view. He found that the group presented with the minority view were less like to change their opinion.
E: This suggests that participants engaged in deeper processing and had enduring effects making ppl more committed to their opinion
L: therefore, there is evidence to support that the minority view does influence deeper processing, increasing the validity of the approach.
A: researchers such as Martin make clear distinctions between the minority and majority view. In a controlled experiment this would be valid, however in real life situations it’s more complex. The majority holds more power and status, making it harder for the minoirty to influence others.
L: The research completely ignores how the power dynamic makes minorities less likely to succeed even if they encourage deeper thinking.
P: Tasks were lacked realism
E: Moscovinci et Al (1969) - explain his study here
E: His research is conducted in a highly controlled environment and lacks complexity of real world issues, such as legal or moral decisions, where the outcomes are vastly more impactful and important. (Sometimes either life or death)
L: Therefore, his research using an artificial task lack mundane realism and ecological validity, meaning the findings may not reflect accurately how minorities work in real world situations.
P: Research support for flexibility
E: Nemeth(1989) investigation found that a consistent minority, initially arguing for a low compensation amount, after a ski incident, influenced the majority by understanding their POV and considering counter arguments. They eventually proposed a slightly higher amount, which made the majority more willing to adjust their view.
E: This suggests that a flexible view is a minimum requirement for a minority to influence a majority
L: therefore, the idea of flexibility can be used to explain why majorities Change their viewpoint increasing the studies validity.
What is social change?
This is when whole societies, rather than just individuals,adopt new attitudes, beliefs and ways of doing things. (E.g. society accepting the earth orbits)
State the processes of social change
Drawing attention - this is through social proof
Consistency
Deeper processing
Augmentation principle
Snow ball effect
Social cryptomnesia
What is social cryptomeria?
This refers to how people know that a change has occurred in society, but forget how this change occurred.
Evaluate Research into Social change
Point:A methodological weakness in research on social change, such as Moscovici’s study, is the use of artificial tasks and settings.
Evidence:In Moscovici’s experiment, participants were asked to judge the colour of slides, which doesn’t reflect real-life situations where social change, like political or societal movements, occurs.
Explanation:The artificial nature of the task means the findings may not be applicable to real-world social change, where issues are more complex and involve more significant emotional and social factors.
Link:As a result, the research may lack ecological validity, reducing the generalizability of the findings to real-world social change processes.
Point:Normative social influence is supported by research.
Evidence: Jessica Nolan et al. (2008) aimed to see if ppl could change their energy use habits. The researches hung messages on the front doors of houses in California every week for one month. The key message was that residents were trying to reduce their energy usage. The control had messages that just asked them to save their energy. She found that messages referencing others’ behaviour led to reduced energy usage compared to control messages.
Explanation: This shows that normative influence can drive behaviour change and is a valid explanation for social change.
Link: It demonstrates the practical application of social influence to societal issues.
Counterpoint:
Normative social influence does not always lead to lasting change.
Evidence: Foxcroft et al. (2015) reviewed 70 studies on alcohol consumption and found only small reductions in drinking quantity with no impact on drinking frequency.
Explanation: This suggests normative influence alone may not achieve long-term social change.
Link: Its effectiveness is limited for sustained societal shifts.
Point: Minority influence is another explanation for social change.
Evidence: Nemeth (2009) argues that minorities encourage divergent thinking, where people actively consider alternative viewpoints and weigh up more options. This leads to broader, more creative decision-making.
Explanation: This highlights how dissenting minorities play a key role in stimulating new ideas and fostering progress in ways that the majority cannot.
Link: Therefore, minority influence is valuable for driving innovation and significant societal change.
