Minority Influence

Question 1

What is minority influence?

Answer 1

Form of social influence where one person or a small group (the minority) persuade others to adopt their believes, attitudes or behaviours.

Question 2

What does minority influence lead to?

Answer 2

Internalisation - both public and private beliefs are changed

Question 3

Who identified minority influence?

Answer 3

Moscovici - blue/green slides

Question 4

Moscovici minority influence research - procedure

Answer 4

• Group of 6 viewed set of 36 blue/green slides which varied in colour and asked to choose whether they were green or blue.
• In each group, had 2 confederates who said slides were green on 2/3s of trials.

Question 5

Moscovici minority influence research - Findings

Answer 5

• Ppts gave same wrong answer on 8.4% of trials, 32% gave same on at least 1 trial
• 2nd group exposed to inconsistent minority and agreement fell to 1.25%.
• Control group had no confederates and was wrong on 0.25% of trials.

Question 6

What behaviours make the minority influence more effective?

Answer 6

• Commitment
• Flexibility
• Consistent

Question 7

What is consistency?

Answer 7

When minority influence keeps the same beliefs (synchronic) for a long time (diachronic). It draws attention the minority.

Question 8

What is commitment?

Answer 8

When minority show dedication to their belief by engaging in extreme activities such as making personal sacrifices. The more risky the activities the more committed the minority seems. Draws attention (augmentation principle)

Question 9

What is flexibility?

Answer 9

When the minority are flexible with their views and will happily accept over points of view and valid counter arguments. This stops the majority viewing the minority as rigid and being put off.

Question 10

What is the snowball effect?

Answer 10

This is where gradually more people convert to the minority, turning it into the majority.
For example, woman rights to vote, gay rights

Question 11

Strengths of minority influence?

Answer 11

Research support - Moscovici study showed consistent minority had more effect than an inconsistent one - wood et al carried out meta analysis of 100 similar studies and found consistent minorities were most influential.
- Research support for depth of thought - Wood et al had one group hear minority view and one a majority view then a conflicting view - found people less likely to change view if listened to minority - shows minority message more deeply processed and had larger effect.

Question 12

Limitations of minority influence?

Answer 12

• use of artificial tasks - identifying a colour on a slide - unreflective of how it happens in real life and difficulty e.g in political campaigning - lacks external validity and generalisability