Social Change A03

• Nolan et al (Research support for NSI)

  Minority influence in social change. Notes put on doors in San Diego, California to cut down energy usage, first note mentioned how other people were doing it. Second group just requested to save power.
• Nolan et al results


  First group had a significant decrease in energy usage. Social change occurred led by conformity to NSI
• Nemeth (Minority influence is only indirectly effective)

  Argues effects of MI are likely to be delayed and indirect. Indirect because Majority is influenced on matters only related to issue at hand and no central issue itself . Delayed because Effects not seen for a long time
• Limitation to minority influence

  Limitation of using MI to explain social change as its effects are fragile and role in social influence is limited
• Moscovici (Role of deeper processing)


  Minority influence causes individuals to think more deeply about an issue
• Diane Mackie


  Disagrees with Moscovici and presents evidence that majority influence may create deeper processing if you do not share their views because we like to believe that other people share our views and think the same way as us
• Central element of minority influence challenged


  When majority believes something we are forced to think about their reasoning. Central element of process of minority= challenged and thus, casting doubts on the validity of Moscovici's theory
• Bashir et al (barriers to social change)


  Investigated why people so often resist social change even when they agree. E.g: ppts less likely to behave in environmentally friendly way to avoid being associated with stereotypical minority of environmentalists
• Researcher advice to minority groups

  Avoid behaviours that reinforce stereotypes
• Methodological issues

  Asch, Milgram and Moscovici experiments lead to social change so all the problems with the individual experiments can be a problem for social change too.