social influence - social influence and social change

Question 1

what is social change?

Answer 1

the wats in which a society develops over time to replace beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour with new norms and expectations

Question 2

what lessons can be drawn from minority social influence research

Answer 2

• drawing attention and social proof
• consistency
• deeper processing
• augmentation principle
• snowball effect
• social cryptomnesia

Question 3

what is social cryptomnesia?

Answer 3

people know change occurred but don’t remember how it happened

Question 4

what lessons can be drawn from conformity research?

Answer 4

Asch’s variation (1955) shows that dissent has the power to bring about social change by allowing others to resist conformity

campaigns appeal to normative social influence by providing information about what others are doing

Question 5

what lessons can be drawn from obedience research?

Answer 5

Milgram’s variation demonstrates the importance of a disobedient role model

Zimbardo (2007) suggested that obedience can create social change through gradual commitment

Question 6

what is gradual commitment?

Answer 6

once a small instruction os obeyed, it becomes more difficult to resist a bigger one

Question 7

strength - research support for normative influence

Answer 7

Nolan et al (2008)
- hung messages on front doors in San Diego for a month that other residents were trying to reduce their energy usage
- control group also had signs but with no reference to the behaviour of others
- significant decrease in energy usage in he first group compared to controls

Question 8

limitation - social norms don’t always create social change

Answer 8

Foxcroft et al (2015)
- reviewed 70 studies where social norms approach was used to reduce student alcohol use
- small reduction in quantity, no change to drinking frequency

Question 9

strength - minority influence explains change

Answer 9

Nemeth (2009) claims social change is due to a type of thinking minorities inspire.
- when people consider minority arguments, they engage in divergent thinking which stimulated new ideas and creates more creative solutions to social issues

Question 10

limitation - counter-evidence for role of deeper processing

Answer 10

Mackie (1987) suggests majority influence creates deeper processing if you don’t share their view as you are forced to think hard about their arguments and reasoning