Social Influence Processes In Social Change Flashcards
What are the different steps to social change?
1.drawing attention to the issue.
2.consistency.
3.deeper processing.
4.the augmentation principle.
5.the snowball effect.
6.social cryptomnesia.
How does drawing attention to an issue lead to social change?
When the minority bring attention to a particular issue, this creates conflict which the majority are motivated to reduce. For example, the suffragettes used educational and political tactics to draw attention to the fact that women were denied the right to vote.
How does consistency lead to social change?
When minorities express their arguments consistently, they are more likely to bring about social change due to articulating the same views repeatedly therefore making the majority question their own views. For example, civil right marches continued for several years articulating the same message thus being consistent and leading to change.
How does deeper processing of the issue lead to social change?
When the minority put forward an argument, the majority are likely to examine this argument closely thinking about the issue deeply. For example, activism in the past meant that people who accepted the majority view began to think deeply about the injustice of it.
How does the augmentation principle lead to change?
The augmentation principle is when minority groups take a myriad of risks to articulate their beliefs. For example, many groups in the past who wished to overcome racism faced racists and were often attacked by these people.
How does the snowball effect lead to social change?
The snowball effect is when the minority group gain more and more people who accept and believe in their views. For example, activists in America for instance, Martin Luther, gradually got the attention of the US government and became more and more popular by the public.
How does social cryptomnesia lead to social change?
This is when people know that a change occurred in society but cannot remember the origin of this change.
What is one strength of social influence processes in social change?
- Research which shows that conformity can lead to social change due to normative social influence.
Nolan et al hung messages outside of people’s houses every week for a month in California - the key message was that most residents were reducing their energy use. The researchers also used a control group in which they were asked to reduce their energy use. He found that after a while, there was a significant decrease in energy usage in the first group.
Therefore, this shows that conformity can lead to social change due to normative social influence.
What are two limitations of social influence processes in social change?
- There are barriers to social change.
Bashir et al found that pps were less likely to behave environmentally friendly due to the fear of being labelled as well as being stereotyped.
Therefore, for social change to be effective, we must avoid reinforcing stereotypes. - Does not always produce long-term change.
Foxcroft et al reviewed social norms interventions. 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, normative social influence is not always effective in bringing about change and long-term effects.
