Social influence and social change

• What are the five steps of how minority influence creates social change?

  1. Drawing attention
  2. Consistency
  3. Deeper processing
  4. Augmentation Principal
  5. Snowball effect
  6. Social cryptomnesia
• Drawing attention


  Doing something unusual or out of the ordinary to make the majority look at the minority e.g. Civil Rights protests drew attention
• Consistency

  Synchronic - The minority share the same message

  Diachronic - The minority keeps and repeats the message over a long period of time

  For example, millions took part in many marches over several years, always representing the same non-aggressive messages.
• Deeper processing

  Once the minority's message has been seen, the majority think deeper about their position and feel 'softer' and therefore more likely to be influenced.
• Augmentation principal

  The minority suffers for the cause e.g. 'freedom riders' were beaten for challenging racial segregation of transport.
• Snowball effect

  Rate of conversion starts very slows with first view conversions then speeds up exponentially until it reaches the 'tipping point' e.g. LGBT rights in the UK.
• Social cryptomnesia

  The majority know that a change has occurs but cannot remember how or when e.g. recycling.
• Lessons from CONFORMITY research

  Importance of dissent in Asch's unanimity variation - broke the power/stance of the majority; social change. Normative social influence.
• Lessons from OBEDIENCE research

  Importance of disobedient role models. When confederate teacher refuses, obedience in participants plummets.