Minority influence

• What are three strategies used by the minority to influence to majority?

  Consistency, commitment, flexibility
• What is consistency?

  Stable in opinion over time and over the minority
• What are two types of consistency?

  Synchronic and diachronic
• What is synchronic consistency?

  The minority presents a united front and share the same view/message
• What is diachronic consistency?

  The minority have been arguing for their view/message for some time
• Why is consistency important?

  Consistency may produce a war of attrition
• What is meant by a war of attrition?

  The majority may begin to look seriously at the minority's stance
• What is commitment?

  Dedication and personal sacrifice
• What is commitment important?

  Majority group members then pay even more attention (augmentation principle).
• What is flexibility?

  Willingness to compromise
• Why is flexibility important?

  Not being flexible comes across as rigid which is off-putting to the majority and unlikely to result in any conversions.
• Who conducted research into consistency?

  Moscovici et al. (1969)
• What did Moscovici et al. (1969) do?

  Six participants at a time were asked to estimate the colour, out loud, of 36 slides (which were all different shades of blue).
• What did Moscovici et al. (1969) find?

  When two confederates called the slides green on all the trials 8.4% of the participants called the slides green compared to 1.3% when the minority called the slides green 24 times, and blue 12 times.
• What are real life applications to researching commitment?

  It helps minorities be influential in real life.
• Provide an exam of real life minorities demonstrating commitment.

  The suffragettes demonstrated commitment by making a number of sacrifices such as the fact that many campaigners were arrested and went on hunger strike in prison.
• Who conducted research into flexibility?

  Nemeth & Brilmayer (1987)
• What did Nemeth & Brilmayer (1987) do?


  Studied participants in a simulated jury situation where group members discussed the amount of compensation to be paid to someone involved in a ski-lift accident.
• What did Nemeth & Brilmayer (1987) find?

  When a confederate put forward an alternative point of view and refused to change his position, this had no effect on other group members. A confederate who compromised did exert an influence on the rest of the group.