A03 Social Influence & Social Change

• Evaluation of Social Influence & Social Change - A03?


  -Minority influence is only indirectly effective in creating social change - Nemeth (1986)

  -Methodological Issues

  -Nature of deeper processing has been questioned (Mackie, Moscovici)

  -Barriers to social change - practical application (Bashir et al 2013)

  Minority influence is only indirectly effective in creating social change (Nolan)
• Barriers to social change - practical application

  P: Bashir et al (2013) had practical advice for minorities hoping to bring social change & suggested people less likely to act in ways minority ask coz they want to avoid the label of being minority

  E: When investigating why people resist social change found it had to do with -ve stereotypes associated with minorities.

  E: For example, feminists were often branded as 'male haters' and environmentalists as 'tree huggers'
• Barriers to social change - practical application - PART 2


  L: Thus, he suggested minorities would be more successful if they could manage to discard the -ve stereotypes associated with their causes (by avoiding acting in ways that reinforce stereotypes).
• Minority influence is only indirectly effective in creating social change - SI&SC A03 


  P: Nemeth (1986) suggests the effect of minority influence are indirect and delayed. It took decades for attitudes against drink-driving and smoking to shift.

  E: Indirect: the majority is influence only on matters related to the central issue and not the issue itself. Delayed: effects not seen for some time

  L: Using minority influence to explain social change is limited because it shows that effects are fragile and its role in social influence is narrow.
• Research support for role of NSI in social change - SI&SC A03


  P: Nolan et al (2008) hung messages on front doors of houses. The key message was most residents are trying to reduce energy usage.

  E: Significant decreases in energy use compared to control group who saw messages to save energy with no reference to other people's behaviour.

  L: So conformity can lead to social change through the operation of NSI
• Nature of deeper processing has been questioned - SI&SC A03

  P: Moscovici suggested minority influence causes individuals to think deeply - which is a different cognitive process from majority influence.

  E: Mackie (1987) disagrees arguing majority influence creates deeper processing if you do not share their views.

  E: We believe that others think in same ways as us; when we find that a majority believes differently, we are forced to think hard about their arguments.

  L: So central element of minority influence is challenged & may be incorrect, casting doubt on validity of Moscovici's theory.
• Methodological Issues - SI&SC A03

  P: Explanations of social change rely on studies by Moscovici, Asch and Milgram

  E: These can be evaluated in terms of methodology mainly over the artificial nature of the tasks and whether the group dynamics reflect real-life.

  L: These criticisms apply to the evaluation of explanations for the link between social influence processes and social change.