Social Influence Processes in Social Change Flashcards
State the 5 stages of change through minority influence.
1) Drawing attention to an issue.
2) Cognitive conflict.
3) Consistent expression of views.
4) Augmentation principle (willing to suffer for views).
5) The snowball effect.
Describe the stage of conflict.
A minority creates a conflict between the majority and minority position.
Describe the stage of consistency.
Minorities are more influential when they express their views consistently.
Describe the stage of augmentation principle.
Minorities are more influential when they suffer for their views.
Describe the stage of the snowball effect.
An initial small effect spreads more widely until it reaches a tipping point.
Describe social change through majority influence and provide and example.
If people believe certain behaviour to be the ‘norm’ then they alter their own behaviour to fit that norm. Social interventions is where a misperception about ‘actual’ norms is corrected.
For example, the ‘Most of us Don’t Drink and Drive’ campaign. This campaign resulted in a drop in drink driving by 13.7%.
*Explain why minority influence is more likely to be latent rather than direct.
Because the potential for change is created but the social change may not actually occur. Social influence through a minority is very gradual.
*Explain why being perceived as ‘deviant’ limits the influence of minorities.
Majority members may not want to align with the minority in fear of being viewed as deviant with them, so the message of the minority has little impact. Minorities, therefore, face the double challenge of making people directly embrace their position and avoiding being portrayed as deviants.
*Give an example social norms interventions having their limitations.
For example, DeJong et al tested the effectiveness of social norms marketing campaigns to reduce drinking in teenagers across 14 different college sites. Students did not show lower perceptions of student drinking levels and self-reported consumption did not lower.
**Explain social norms and the boomerang effect and provide an example.
For those that already engage in behaviour desired by the social norm, such a normative message could spur on more destructive behaviour.
For example, Schultz et al found that where a social norms campaign was effective in getting heavy energy users to use less electricity, those who already used less than the norm increased their own usage.
**Explain the Communist Manifesto.
The communists avoided being portrayed as deviants by claiming that they were just like the majority and they were all against the bourgeoisie.
