Minority influence

Question 1

What is minority influence?

Answer 1

• A form of social influence where the minority people try and change the views, beliefs or attitudes of people. Leads to internalisation or conversion

Question 2

What is consistency?

Answer 2

• Minority influence is most effective when minority keeps same beliefs over time and between individuals . Draws attention to minority

Question 3

Explain commitment?

Answer 3

• Minority influence is more powerful when minority show dedication to position. They do this my making personal sacrifices and shows they’re not acting out of self-interests

Question 4

Expain flexibility?

Answer 4

Relentless consistency could be useless if seen by majority if unreasonable. Therefore minority tries to be flexible by accepting the possibility to compromise.

Question 5

Explain consistency in Minority influence?

Answer 5

The minority must be consistent in their views as over time consistency increase interest from other people. Consistency can take a form of agreement between people in minority group and makes them re think their own views (Maybe they’ve got a point)

Question 6

Explain the augment principle and commitment?

Answer 6

• The minority must show commitment to their cause or view. Quite extreme activities draws attention to their views.

Question 7

Explain Flexibility In minority influence?

Answer 7

• Nemeth argued that consistency is not the only important factor because it can be off putting. Someone who is consistent and repetitive can be off putting. Flexibility on its own is unlikely to cause people to convert. Instead members of minority need to be flexible and be reasonable to counterarguments. They key is to strike a balence between two.

Question 8

Explain the process of change in Minority influence?

Answer 8

• Something you agree with is hard to change so when you hear something new it makes you think and think more deeply about it. Especially if you are consistent or committed.
• Over time people turn from majority to the minority and this makes them converted. This is the snowball effect like a snowball as their views are being changed

Question 9

Evaluate one strength in Minority influence?

Answer 9

Miscovici showed that a consistent minority influence had a greater effect changing the views of others than an inconsistent influence.
- Wendy carried out a meta analysis over a 100 different experiments and found that minorities being most influential was most effective.

Question 10

What is a limitation on Minority Influence?

Answer 10

• the tasks involved are just as artificial as Asch experiment. The minority influence doesn’t work in real life for example changing a Jury’s views.
• Findings of minority influence are lacking external validity and tell us little how they work in real life situations.