Evaluation

• Evaluate research support for normative influence?

  • Nolan et al. 2008
  • Hung messages on door about energy usage reduction.
  • ’most residents are trying to reduce their energy usage.’
  • ’save energy.’
  • Significant decrease in usage when mentioning most residents.
  • Shows that conformity can lead to social change through normative social influence
• evaluate minority influence is indirectly effective.

  • nemeth 1986
  • argues that effect of minority influence are indirect and delayed.
  • indirect- majority influenced on matters only related to the issue at hand and not the central issue.
  • delayed- effects may not be seen for some time.
  • example- took decades for attitudes against drunk-driving and smoking to shift
• evaluate role of deeper processing

  • mackie 1987
  • majority influence causes deeper processing if you do not share their views.
  • we like to believe that others share our views and think in the same way as us.
  • when we find out that the majority think differently, we are forced to think long and hard about their argumenuts and reasonings.
  • doubts validity of moscovicis thoery
• evaluate barriers to social change

  • bashir et al 2013
  • investigated why people often resist social change.
  • people do not want to be associated with stereotypes and minority.
  • environmentalists- tree huggers.
  • feminists- men haters.
  • to create social change, avoid behaviour in ways that reinforce the stereotypical- it is off-putting towards the majority