Minority influence

• Minority influence


  When a minority (small group) changes the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of a majority
• Factors that can enhance the effectiveness of a minority

  • Consistency
  • Commitment
  • Flexibility
• Moscovici's experiment


  1. Participants told they were taking part in a colour perception task

  2. Participants placed in groups of 6

  3. Shown 36 slides of varying shades of blue

  4. Participants stated the colour of each slide

  5. 2 confederates said all 36 slides were green (consistent condition)

  6. 2 confederates said 24 slides were green, 12 were blue (inconsistent condition)
• In the consistent condition, the real participants agreed on 8.2% of the trials
• In the inconsistent condition, the real participants only agreed on 1.25% of the trials
• A consistent minority is 6.95% more effective than an inconsistent minority
• Consistency is an important factor in minority influence
• Consistency


  Linked to commitment
• Moscovici used a biased sample of 172 female participants from America
• Moscovici's experiment required deception in order to achieve valid results
• If participants were aware of the true aim, they might have displayed demand characteristics and acted differently
• Minorities can be based on race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability status, etc.
• Minorities can use three strategies to gain compliance from majorities: social change strategy, accommodation strategy, and assimilation strategy.
• The minority group is often seen as inferior or deviant by the majority, leading to prejudice and discrimination against them.
• The minority group must be perceived to be legitimate, competent, and committed to their cause.