Minority Influence

• What are the 3 contributing factors that cause minority influencce?

  1. flexibility
  2. commitment
  3. consistency
• What is Moscovici’s (1969) blue-green slide research?


  A group of 6 were asked to determine the colour of 36 blue slide that varied in intensity. In every group there were 2 confederates that consistently answered green. On 8.4% of the trials, real ppts gave the wrong answer.

  In a control group with inconsistent minority (2/3 of times said green), conformity from the majority fell to 1.25%. In another control group with no confederate, the slide was judged green only 0.25% of all trials.
• What are the 2 types of consistency?

  1. synchronic consistency - all minorities say the same things
  2. diachronic synchrony - they’ve been saying the same thing over a period of time

  This makes the majority rethink their own views: ‘they must have a point if they all keep saying the same thing’
• What is it called when the minority are so committed to their cause to the point their activities put them at risk?

  Augmentation principle
• What did Nemeth suggest about flexibility?

  The majority despise rigidity, and dogmatic consistency from the minority; it’s important for the minority to be adaptable to the majorities’ views.
• What’s the process of change?


  When someone hears someone agree with their views, they don’t think deeper into it. However, when someone disagrees, (especially while being consistent, committed and flexible) they are more like to think more into their views and second guess it. Deeper processing is what triggers conversion of opinions.

  Eventually, as more and more people convert and the faster they do it, the more the snowball effect occurs. Gradually minority become the majority.