Minority Influience

• Minority influence is when a small group (the minority) influences the opinion of a much larger group
• Consistency is when a minority are constant and unchanging in their views. Diachronic consistency is consistency over time and Synchronic consistency is consistency between all members.

  
  

  Commitment is when a minority gains attention by putting themselves in risky situations which demonstrate their commitment to the cause.

  
  

  Flexiblity is when a minority should balance their consistency and flexibility so they don't appear rigid. By showing willingless to listen to others it invites people to take into account their point of view.
• Moscovici et al conducted a study where six people (with 2 confederates) viewed different blue-coloured slides with varying intensities. They were then asked to state whether the slide was blue or green. In one condition, the confederates consistently said the slides were green, while in the other, they were inconsistent in their answers.

  By comparing the procedure to a control group with no confederates, Moscovici found that a consistent minority had more participants agreeing with them.
• Limitation) Moscovicis task is artificial which lacks ecological validity. In real life, minority influence involves complex issues like climate change, so results from lab studies don't generalise.

  
  

  Strength) Moscovicis study showed that a consistent minority could influene the majority to an extent. This provides empirical support for the idea that consistency is a key factor in minorty influence.