Minority Influence

• What occurs when a minority group changes the views of the majority?

  Minority influence
• How does minority influence differ from conformity?

  Minority changes majority views, conformity the opposite
• What are the key factors affecting minority influence?

  • Consistency
  • Commitment
  • Flexibility
• What type of consistency involves all minority members giving the same message?

  Synchronic consistency
• Which type of consistency requires the minority to repeat the same message over time?

  Diachronic consistency
• What effect does consistency from the minority have on the majority?

  Leads them to reconsider their stance
• What qualities within a minority group increase influence?

  Passion, confidence, and willingness to suffer
• Why does commitment from a minority group increase influence?

  Majority assumes the minority has a valid point
• What must a minority do in relation to counterarguments to increase influence?

  Consider them and appear reasonable
• What balance is crucial for a minority aiming to exert influence?

  Consistency and flexibility
• How does minority influence typically begin and progress?

  Slowly, gradually converting individuals
• According to the snowball effect, what happens as more people switch to the minority viewpoint?

  The rate of conversion increases
• In what year did Moscovici conduct his experiment on minority influence?

  1969
• What type of experiment did Moscovici use?

  Lab experiment
• What was the aim of Moscovici’s experiment?

  Investigate how a minority can influence a majority
• How many participants were in each group in Moscovici's experiment?

  Six
• In Moscovici's experiment, how many confederates were in each group?

  Two
• What did the participants view in Moscovici's experiment?

  36 blue slides of varying shades
• What were participants asked to state about the slides in Moscovici's experiment?

  If slides were blue or green
• In Moscovici's experiment, what did the confederates consistently say the slides were in 2/3 of trials?

  Green
• In Moscovici's experiment, what percentage of participants called the slides green in the consistent minority condition?

  8%
• In Moscovici's experiment, what percentage of participants called the slides green in the inconsistent minority condition?

  Only 1%
• What conclusion did Moscovici draw from his experiment?

  Consistency is crucial for minority influence
• According to Nemeth's research, what characteristic made minorities less persuasive in a mock jury study?

  Inflexibility
• According to Nemeth's research, what characteristic allowed minorities to gain more influence in a mock jury study?

  Flexibility
• Which historical movement demonstrates commitment through actions like hunger strikes?

  Suffragettes
• Which historical movement demonstrated consistency through repeated speeches and protests?

  Civil Rights Movement
• What type of validity is suggested by the real-world applications of minority influence principles?

  Good ecological validity
• What is a weakness of Moscovici and Nemeth's studies regarding real-world generalization?

  Artificial tasks lack mundane realism
• What dispositional factor might influence outcomes more than consistency, commitment, or flexibility alone?

  Charismatic leaders