Social influence processes and social change Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is social change?
Occurs when a society or section of society adopts a new belief/way of behaving which then becomes widely accepted as the norm
What did Moscovici call the process of an individual changing their views when exposed to a persuasive argument under certain conditions?
Conversion
What are the 5 stages of social change?
- drawing attention to an issue
- cognitive conflict
- consistency of position
- the augmentation principle
- the snowball effect
How does drawing attention to an issue bring about social change? (use an example)
The suffragettes used educational, political and militant tactics to draw attention to the fact that women were denied the same voting rights as men
What is cognitive conflict? (use example)
The minority creates a conflict between what majority group members currently believe and the position advocated by the minority - majority begin to think more deeply about the issues being challenged
The suffragettes created conflict between existing status quo and the position they advocated for (some moved towards position, others dismissed it)
Why is consistency of position important to social change? (use example)
Consistency has been shown as a key part in bringing about social change
The suffragettes were consistent in their views, regardless of attitudes around them e.g. protests and political lobbying that went on for years + women’s role in WWI
What is the augmentation principle? (use example)
If the minority appears willing to suffer for their views, they are seen as more committed and so taken more seriously
The suffragettes were willing to risk imprisonment or even death from hunger strike - their influence became more powerful
What is the snowball effect? (use example)
Minority influence starts off with a small effect but this then spreads more widely as more and more people consider the issues being promoted, until it leads to tipping point where it becomes the majority view
Universal suffrage (all allowed to vote) was finally accepted by majority in the UK
What is the social norms approach? who proposed it?
Perkins & Berkowitz - if people perceive something to be the norm, they tend to alter their behaviour to fit that norm - behaviour is based more on perceived norms than their real beliefs
What word describes the gap between the perceived and actual norm?
Misperception
What are social norms interventions?
Attempts to correct misperceptions of the normative behaviour of peers in an attempt to change the risky behaviour of a target population
How can perception correction strategies be used?
In media campaigns, promotional material and through other routes
What are the aims of perception correction strategies?
To communicate to the target population the actual norm concerning that particular behaviour
What is an example of a social norms intervention?
‘Most of us don’t drink and drive’ - aimed to reduce drink driving in Montana
92% of respondents believed their peers were drink driving (not the case)
By correcting this misconception with the simple message 4/5 young adults don’t drink and drive - drink driving reduced to by 13.7% compared to countries that did not run the campaign
USE OF MAJORITY INFLUENCE
Why may social change through minority influence be limited?
It is a very gradual process, people are likely to maintain status quo rather than engage in social change
Influence of a minority is more latent than direct (i.e. it creates potential for change rather than actual social change)
Why does being seen as deviant limit the influence of minorities?
Members of the majority may avoid aligning themselves with the minority position because they do not want to be seen as deviant themselves
The focus of the majority is on the source of the message (the deviant minority) rather than the message itself - this means the minority often has little impact
(The communist manifesto - to avoid being seen as deviant the minority must portray themselves as really apart of the majority i.e. proletariat)
Who proposed that social norms and the boomerang effect? and what does it mean?
Schultz et al - Social norm interventions are typically aimed at individuals whose behaviour less desirable than the norm - however, those whose behaviour is more desirable than the norm also receive the message
For those individuals who already engage in the constructive behaviour being advocated - a normative message can also spur to increasing these aspects to be more in line with the norm
