Role of social influence processes

Question 1

Social change definition

Answer 1

Social change occurs when there is a shift in the beliefs or behaviors of an entire population, leading to a new societal norm.

Question 2

Strategies of social change

Answer 2

✔ Minority Influence: The minority persuades the majority by being consistent, committed, and flexible.

✔ Locus of Control: Individuals with an internal locus of control resist conformity and drive change.

✔ Disobedience to Authority: Defying authority can bring attention to a cause and push for social reform.

Question 3

Snowball affect definition

Answer 3

When a minority starts influencing the majority, their viewpoint spreads.

Question 4

Snowball affect process

Answer 4

The rate of conversion grows, eventually making the minority view the dominant norm.

Question 5

Snowball effect example

Answer 5

Changes in attitudes toward race and sexuality—once widely accepted discriminatory behaviors are now illegal and socially condemned.

Question 6

Moscovici’s Research on Minority Influence
(findings and key factors)

Answer 6

✔ Findings: A consistent minority is more likely to influence the majority.
✔ Key Factors: Consistency, commitment, and flexibility help the minority gain credibility and cause social change.

Question 7

A03 - Research Support for Minority Influence
(strength)

Answer 7

✔ Point: Minority influence is effective in creating social change.
✔ Evidence: Moscovici’s study found that a consistent minority had a greater influence on the majority compared to an inconsistent one.
✔ Explain: This demonstrates that consistency is a key factor in the success of minority influence.
✔ Link: This supports the idea that minority groups can cause social change by sticking to their views over time.

Question 8

A03 - Real world applications
(strength)

Answer 8

✔ Point: Minority influence has been shown to drive real-world social change.

✔ Evidence: The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s was led by a minority (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr.), who used consistent and committed methods to change societal norms.

✔ Explain: This example supports the idea that minorities, when persistent, can influence the majority and cause significant social reform.

✔ Link: Minority influence is a valid and powerful method of achieving long-term social change.

Question 9

A03 - social change
(weakness

Answer 9

✔ Point: Social change through minority influence is slow and its effects are fragile.

✔ Evidence: Nemeth (1986) argues that people are not exposed to the core issue, as addressing it too directly would seem too extreme.

✔ Explain: Since change happens gradually, the impact of minority influence is delayed, making it unreliable for creating quick societal shifts.

✔ Link: This suggests that minority influence alone is not enough to bring about significant and lasting social change.