AO3

• Nemeth

  • put Ppts into groups of 4, had to agree on the amount of compensation they would give to a victim of a ski lift accident
  • One ppt in each group was a confederate
  • Condition 1 - the minority argued for a low rate of compensation and refused to change their position
  • condition 2 - when the minority argued for a low rate but compromised
  • Condition 1 the minority had little effect on the majority, condition 2 the majority was much more likely to compromise and change their view
• Martin et al

  • Gave ppts a message supporting a viewpoint then measured their support
  • Condition 1 - Ppts then heard a minority group endorsing the same view
  • condition 2 - Ppts heard a majority group endorsing the same view
  • Both groups were then given a conflicting view then their support was measured
  • People are less willing to change their opinion if they had listened to minority group than the majority group, suggesting the minority message had been internalised as they processed it more deeply - minority influence us real
• Criticisms of Moscovicis colour perception study

  • Female ppts from America - gender and cultural bias, cant generalise to the whole population. Neto et al found that females are more likely to conform due to need for social approval
  • Deceiving - use of confederates, ppts could not give informed consent as they were told it was a colour slide test
  • Lab test - lacks ecological validity/mundane realism as it doesn’t reflect natural situations
• flaws in most studies

  • Most studies don’t capture the commitment that minorities show towards their causes and the social support that members give to each other when they are often Faced with hostile opposition which threatens to overwhelm them
  • Often studies only show the majority as larger numbers - ignores power and status that majorities can also have