Minority influence Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is minority influence?
Where members of the majority group change their beliefs or behaviours as a result their exposure to a persuasive minority
What three factors are required for minority influence to be successful?
Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility
Why is consistency important in minority influence?
When people are first exposed to a minority with a differing view they assume it is an error - however, if the group is consistent and confident they are acknowledged and more likely to be taken seriously (Nemeth)
Why is commitment important in minority influence?
Suggests certainty, confidence and courage in the face of a hostile majority - the greater commitment may persuade the majority to take them seriously or even convert them to the minority position
Why is flexibility important in minority influence?
Mugny suggests that flexibility is more effective than rigid arguments - minorities are typically powerless compared to majority, they must negotiate their position rather than enforce it
Mugny a rigid minority that refuses to compromise risks being seen as dogmatic, however a minority who are too flexible risk being seen as inconsistent and changing nothing
Therefore, there must be a certain level of flexibility
Who did the key study on minority influence?
Moscovici et al (1969)
What were the procedures of Moscovici et al study?
4 participants and a minority of two confederates - shown blue slides with different levels of intensity
Consistent condition - confederates repeatedly called the clearly blue slides green
Inconsistent condition - called the slides green 2/3 of the time
Control condition - no confederates - participants called the slides blue throughout
What were the findings of Moscovici et al study?
The consistent minority influenced the participants to say green on over 8% of the trials
Inconsistent minority had very little influence
What did Moscovici et al have his participants do after the main study?
Participants individually sorted 16 coloured discs into either blue or green (3 unambiguously blue, 3 unambiguously green, remaining 10 ambiguous)
Those who had been with the consistent minority judged more of the discs to be green - effect was even greater for those who hadn’t gone along with the minority during experiment - suggesting initial influence is more private
What is the real value of minority influence?
Nemeth - ‘opens’ the mind
As a result of exposure to a minority position, people search for information, consider more options, make better decisions, and are more creative - stimulate divergent and creative thought
Van Dyne and Saavedra - supported idea of improved decision quality when exposed to minority perspective
Who suggests there is a tipping point for commitment? and what does this mean?
Xie et al (2011) - discovered a ‘tipping point’ where the number of people holding a minority position becomes sufficient to change majority opinion
They developed computer models of social networks, with ‘individuals’ free to chat - included individuals with a traditional view and some with an alternative point of view (expressed consistently) - if they held the same opinion, its reinforced
- if opinion was different, listener considered it and moved on, if the next individual also held the belief, individuals belief was likely to shift
Study concluded that the percentage of committed opinion holders necessary to ‘tip’ the majority into accepting the minority position was just 10% (snowball effect)
Is minority influence actually affective?
Nemeth - still difficult to convince people of the value of dissent - people accept the principle only on the surface i.e. appear tolerant but become quickly irritated- fear being ridiculed by being associated with a ‘deviant’ point of view so ignore them
