Minority Influence

Question 1

Outline Consistency

Answer 1

The minorily must remain consistent in their belief by repeating the same belief overtime (diachronic synchrony) and between all individuals (synchronic consistency). The majority then reassess the situation and consider the minority viewpoint

Question 2

Outline Commitment

Answer 2

The minority must remain committed by showing dedication and making personal sacrifices. Some minorities engage in extreme activities to draw attention to their views, if these activities display a risk to the minority then this shows greater commitment. The majority then pays more attention to the minority viewpoint - this is the augmentation principle

Question 3

Outline Flexibility

Answer 3

The minority must remain flexible as too much consistency can be seen as dogmatic and rigid and may stop the majority moving over to the minority viewpoint. The minority need to adapt their point of view and accept reasonable counter arguments and strike a balance between consistency and flexibility

Question 4

Discuss Minority Influence (3 x AO3)

Answer 4

1. Research to support consistency from a minority infuence was conducted by Moscovici et al. Two confederates sat with a majority group of six participants, they were shown blue sides that differed in intensity and had to state the colour. When the minority consistently called the blue slides green, participants gave the same wrong answer 8% of the time; however when the minority group inconsistently called the blue slides green, agreement fell to 1% this therefore supports the notion that consistency is important when a minority is influencing a majority.
2. Research by Moscovici to support the role of consistency in minority influence lacks mundane realism, as it used an unrealistic task of stating the colour of a slide. Therefore, it is difficult to generalise the findings to explain how minorities attempt to change the behaviour of majorities in real life social situations where the outcomes are more important, for example if a jury is deciding on a verdict. This lowering the external validity of the research into minority influence.
3. There is real life evidence to support how a minority can influence a majority using consistency, commitment and flexibility from the suffragette movement. The women showed consistency by having the same belief that women should have equal rights between all members, over a long period of time. They showed dedication by going on hunger strike and they were flexible as they accepted women having a vote at the age of 30 and then continued to campaign, finally winning the right for women to vote. Thus showing how a minority can influence a majority in the real world.