Minority Influence Flashcards
(14 cards)
What is Minority Influence?
Where one person or a small group influences the beliefs and behaviour of other people
The influence can be on one person, a small group, or a large group.
What does internalisation refer to in the context of minority influence?
Both public behaviour and private beliefs are changed
Minority influence most likely leads to internalisation
Which study first examined minority influence?
Moscovici’s ‘blue slide, green slide’ study
This study highlighted key processes in minority influence.
What is the role of consistency in minority influence?
Consistency in minority’s view increases amount of interest from other people as it makes them rethink their own views
Involves synchronic consistency and/or diachronic consistency
What is synchronic consistency?
Agreement between people in the minority group
This refers to all members of the minority saying the same thing.
What is diachronic consistency?
Consistency over time
minority has been expressing the same view for a while.
What is the role of commitment in minority influence?
Minorities engaging in extreme activities that theyre at risk to, to draw attention to ther point
Called the Augmentation principle
What is the role of flexibility in minority influence?
The minority must be willing to adapt and accept reasonable counter-arguments
As highlighted by Nemeth
A balance between consistency and flexibility is necessary.
What is the process of change?
A new viewpoint makes people think esp if theyre consistent and passionate. Overtime increasing numbers switch from majority to minority, becoming ‘converted’
More this happens, faster rate of conversion known as the Snowball Effect
Whats a strength of consistency?
Research supports it’s importance as Moscovici et al’s study shown that consistent minority opinion has greater effect than inconsistency. Wood et al conducted a meta analysis of nearly 100 similar studies and found the same thing
Suggests consistency is a major factor in minority influence
Whats a strength of change?
Changing to minority involves deeper processing as Martin et al gave participants a message supporting a particular viewpoint and measured their support, one group heard minority agree and another heard majorty agree, then exposed to conflicting view and measured attitudes
People less willing to change opinion if listening to minority, shows their meassge more deeply processed and has a enduring effect
What is a limitation of minority influence?
The task of identifying the colour of the slide (in moscovici’s study) is artificial thus research is far from how minorities attempt to change behaviour in real life. Jury decisions and political campaigning are much more important making studies like Moscovici et al’s lack external validity
Limited in what they can say about minority influence
Whats a strength of internalisation?
Variation of blue-green slides was conducted, participants were allowed to write their answers down so responses were private not said outloud. Greater private agreement with minority = majority convinced by minority and changing views
Relunctant to publicly admit it, possibly due to not wanting to appear radical or weird
Whats a limitation of minority influence?
Real life social influence situations much more complex as more involved in difference between minority and majority than just numbers.
Majorities often have power and status, while minorities are committed to their causes.
