the role of social influence processes in social change Flashcards
social change
occurs when a society or section of society adopts a new belief which then becomes widley accpeted as the norm
social norms interventions
attempt to correct misperceptions of the normative behaviourof peers in an attempt to change the risky behaviour of a target population
drawing attention to the issue
if exposed to the views of a minority then this draws the majorities attention to it
(Done through speaking out/Rallies/Advertisement)
E.g. The Suffragette Movement
cognitive conflict
the majority examines the minorities arguments closely, thinking more deeply about the meaning of them
e.g. women’s vote
consistency of position
minorities are more influential when fighting for social change, if they consistently express their arguments over time
the augmentation principle (commitment)
a minority position often risks abuse and media attention from the majority, sometimes imprisonment or death
E.g. A woman from the suffragette movement died whilst protesting
the snowball effect
over time, people will gradually switch from agreeing with the majority to agreeing with the minority
people that Initiated change = Internal LOC
Suffragette Movement -
Emmaline Pankurst: Founded WSPU in 1903, campaigned and protested for woman’s rights
Civil Rights Movement -
Martin Luther King Jr: Made an infamous speech to motivate and inform people of their treatment
Evidence of Consistency
Suffragette Movement -
Used education/political arguments to draw attention to female rights. Also did lobbying.
Civil Rights Movement -
MLK was consistent in his views against racial segregation for many years
Evidence of Flexibility
Suffragette Movement -
They agreed to postpone their campaigning to help with the war effort
Civil Rights Movement -
Listening to counter arguments, whilst at the same time not deviating from their own.
Evidence of Commitment
Suffragette Movement -
Emily Davison was killed after running into 1913 Epson Derby competition
Civil Rights Movement -
Rosa Parks was arrested and put into prison for not giving up her seat on the bus
Evidence of a Snowball Effect
Suffragette Movement -
People Act: First women over 35 were allowed to own property and 10 years later, women over 21 could vote
Civil Rights Movement -
1964 US Civil Rights Act was passed which prohibited discrimination
Evaluation: Strength - Wood et al
Made a meta-analysis of over 100 similar studies and found consistent minorities were more influential.
Meta-analysis: more valid summary of various studies.
Therefore, Wood proves the reliability of Moscovici’s research by showing consistency of his findings.
Evaluation: Limitation
Moscovici’s research was a laboratory experiment.
+ controls extraneous variables, show cause and effect
E.g. number of participants and confederates
- Low ecological validity, and people knew they were in an experiment so demand characteristics could arise
