Social Influence: Social Influence and Social Change Flashcards
Social Influence
The process by which individuals and groups change each others attitudes and behaviours. Includes conformity, obedience and minority influence
Social Change
Whole societies change their behaviour and beliefs rather than just an individual
Outline Social Change:
- Minority influence
- Lessons from conformity
- Lessons from obedience
Outline the role of Minority Influence into social change
- Draw attention
- Consistency
- Deeper Processing
- Augmentation principle
- Snowball effect
- Social Cryptomnesia
Outline the role of Minority Influence: Draw Attention
providing social proof of the problem
Outline the role of Minority Influence: Consistency
Display the same message
Outline the role of Minority Influence: Deeper processing
People begin to see how unjust something is
Outline the role of Minority Influence: Augmentation principle
Commitment is shown and this leads to people reevaluating their beliefs
Outline the role of Minority Influence: Snowball effect
Where more and more majority change to minority
Minority becomes majority
Outline the role of conformity research into social change
Appealing to Normative Social Influence
Provide information about what other people are doing
Outline the role of obedience research into social change
Importance of disobedient role models
Gradual commitment
Evaluate social change
+ Research support for normative influences (Nolan)
- Minority influence is indirectly effective
- Deeper processing more likely in majority than minority
- Methodological issues (bad samples etc)
- Doesn’t take into account identification
Evaluate social change:
+ Research support for normative influences
Nolan
Hung messages about energy consumption
saying most residents reduce energy usage
significant decrease in energy usage
Evaluate social change:
- Minority influence is indirectly effective
Slow change
Delayed therefore effects not seen for some time
Shows influence is limited
Evaluate social change:
- Deeper processing more likely in majority than minority
People want to be correct and want others to agree with them
More likely to consider majority views
