The Process of Social Change (AO1)

Question 1

What are the 5 Ways that the Minority can enact Social Change?

Answer 1

1. Drawing Attention
2. Consistency
3. Deeper Processing & Augmentation Principle
4. The Snowball Effect
5. Social Cryptoamnesia

Question 2

What is Drawing Attention?

Answer 2

• marches & protests can draw attention to a cause which may otherwise be ignored
• this creates cognitive conflict in the minds of others, an uncomfortable feeling of being used to a norm & being told smth is different
  + this motivates ppl to reduce conflict by listening to the minority position & engaging with it

Question 3

What is Consistency?

Answer 3

importance of consistency in putting a message across - both synchronic & diachronic

synchronic = minority does the same
diachronic = same over time

Question 4

What is Deeper Processing & Augmentation Principle?

Answer 4

the earlier consistency in drawing attention to a cause means that ppl start to think about the issue on hand at a deeper level

activism against a norm in society means that ppl who accepted the status quo before begin to think deeply abt the unjustness of it - augmentation principle (change in perception)

Question 5

What is The Snowball Effect?

Answer 5

this occurs when members of the majority slowly move towards the minority, and as the minority grows in size it gradually picks up momentum

eventually the minority grows so large that it becomes the majority + is strengthened by normative influence

Question 6

What is Social Cryptoamnesia?

Answer 6

eventually when the minority becomes the majority, the behaviour or idea becomes the new norm

new ppl socialised into the new norm do not remember a time when things were different = cryptoamnesia

Question 7

Real Life Examples

Answer 7

LGBT+ Rights - campaigns/ marches
School Dinners - Jamie Oliver
Women’s Vote - Suffragettes

Question 8

Lessons from Conformity Research?

Answer 8

Asch’s research with the dissenting confederates - rates drop to 1/4 of what it was originally, the dissenter breaks the majority & encourages others to dissent (snowball effect) this can ultimately lead to social change

environmental & health campaigns increasingly exploit conformity processes using normative social influence - this could be printing messages on bins “bin it like everyone else” or preventing young ppl from smoking “most other young ppl don’t smoke”

social change draws attention to what others are doing

Question 9

Lessons from Obedience Research?

Answer 9

disobedient role model in Milgram’s experiment - when ppts are working in pairs as teaches with a dissenting confederate, rates drop to 10% going to 450V which shows the power of minority influence in a power imbalance

Zimbardo often references the idea of gradual commitment & how this can be used to create social change - once a small instruction is obeyed it becomes much more difficult to resist a bigger one, ppl essentially ‘drift’ into new behaviour