Social Influence : Minority Influence

Question 1

What is social influence ?

Answer 1

A form of social influence in which a minority of people persuade others to adopt their belief, attitudes and behaviour

Question 2

What is commitment

Answer 2

It is when minorities engage in activities that are a risk to them to demonstrate the cause is important to them to make majority pay attention.

Question 3

What is flexibility ?

Answer 3

Is when the minority does not want to be seen as unbending and inflexible as this is off putting to the majority. So they adapt their point of view and accept reasonable counter arguments

Question 4

What is consistency ?

Answer 4

Consistency can either be an agreement between minority where they all say the same thing (synchronic consistency) or an agreement over time (diachronic consistency). This is so majority pay more attention and increase their interest in minority

Question 5

Consistency and flexibility in terms of obedience

Answer 5

Commitment - standing up to figure of authority even though they have power to punish - shows willing to sacrifice
Flexibility - compromising with authority figures about the order that if given

Question 6

Explain moscovidics research

Answer 6

• ‘Blue or green slide’ study.
• In a group of six, a minority of two confederates
consistently said that an obviously blue slide was
green.
Findings:
• When the minority consistently claimed that the blue slides were green, the majority were influenced 8% of the time
• When the minority behaved inconsistently, and only sometimes called the blue slides green the majority were influenced about 1% of the time.
• Moscovici et al. claimed that conversion to a minority position tends to be deep and long-lasting.

Question 7

What are limitations with research in minority influence

Answer 7

(-) Research into minority influence
is often artificial – e.g. naming slide colours- in real life the outcomes of minority influence are more important
Minority influence lacks external validity

Question 8

What is social change

Answer 8

When whole societies rather than just individuals adopt new attitudes, beliefs and ways of doing things.

Question 9

What is the snowball effect

Answer 9

Overtime majority begins to chnage to the minority view

The more this happens the faster the conversion rate

Question 10

How does social chnage come about in minority influence

Answer 10

1. Drawing attention to an
issue- social proof.
2. A consistent message with
each other and over time.
3. Deeper processing of the
issue by the majority.
4. The augmentation - people risk their lives for it
principle (commitment).
5. The snowball effect. 
6. Social cryptoamnesia. - memory that change occurred but not how it happened

Question 11

How does conformity show social change

Answer 11

Dissent- social support
can break the majorities power and free others to act as they wish.
2. NSI- drawing attention to what the majority are doing can encourage others to do the same.
3. ISI- providing the public with information can change their views.

Question 12

How does obedience lead to social change

Answer 12

. Disobedient role models-
free others to act on their
own conscience.
2. Gradual commitment-
convince the public to make small change to begin with.
3. Legitimate authority
figures- e.g. the government can punish and set roles

Question 13

What is a limitation of social change

Answer 13

Social change is not always simple as Many people are settled in their views and unwilling to change.

Bashir suggests that these social barriers are largely due to the stereotypes which many have.

This suggests that minority influence and social influence are not always completely effective because they cannot tackle these kinds of issues.

Question 14

what is a limitation of minority influence research ? (artificial)

Answer 14

P) Artificial tasks are often used in minority influence research.
E.g.) Identifying the colour of a slide is far removed from how minorities attempt to change behaviour in real life. In real life such
as jury situations, the outcomes are vastly more important.
Exp) Studies such as Moscovici’s lack external validity and can tell us little about how minority influence works in real life situations

Question 15

what is a strength of minority influence (research for flexibility)

Answer 15

There is research to support the importance of flexibility.
E.g.) In a simulated jury trial, Nemeth and Brilmayer (1987) found confederates holding a minority view who compromised with the
majority were more influential. As minorities are relatively powerless, they must negotiate rather than enforce their position.
Exp) However, being too flexible weakens the minority’s position as this suggests they have to the majority

Question 16

what is a limitation of minority influence ( differenc

Answer 16

Minority and majority may not be so distinct.
E.g.) Research studies make a very clear distinction between majority and minority in a controlled way. In real life social influence
situations things are more complicated. There is more involved in the difference between a minority and majority than just the
group size.
Exp) This shows that lab-based minority influence research does not represent minorities in the real world