Minority social influecne

• Minority


  A group smaller than 50% or the majority
• Commitment


  Being dedicated to a cause, activity
• Consistency


  To be stable or constant
• Minority influence


  When a group smaller than the majority affects someone's behaviour or beliefs
• Flexibility


  To be able to change position
• Internalisation


  What minority influence is most likely to lead to
• Moscovici et al (1969) study


  1. Participants shown slides of different shades of blue

  2. Each person in the group asked to say colour they saw out loud

  3. 3 conditions: consistent confederates, inconsistent confederates, control group
• Consistent confederates


  Influenced the majority more than inconsistent confederates
• Consistency in minority's views

  Increases the amount of interest from other people
• Consistency in minority's views

  Makes others rethink their own views
• Consistent minority


  People more likely to agree with them than if they kept changing their point
• Commitment by minorities


  • Setting themselves alight
  • Jumping in front of horse
  • Civil rights movement 'sit ins'
• Flexibility


  Minority groups must negotiate their position with the majority rather than try to enforce it
• Minority groups who are not willing to compromise can be seen as narrow minded
• Minority groups that are too flexible can be seen as inconsistent
• Minority groups need to find a happy medium between flexibility and consistency
• Minority using consistency, commitment, flexibility to influence majority

  1. Leads to deeper processing and conversion of majority opinion

  2. As more majority members join minority, snowball effect occurs

  3. This leads to social change
• Results only show 8% of participants responded green in consistent condition
• Possible applications of minority influence factors


  • Consistency - repeatedly persuading peers
  • Commitment - making sacrifices for cause
  • Flexibility - compromising on goals
• Who first studied minority influence in 1964?

  Moscovici
• What was the main focus of Moscovici's study?

  To study minority influence using the blue slide, green slide experiment
• How many females participated in Moscovici's study?

  172 females
• Why were participants given eye tests in the study?

  To ensure they weren't color blind
• What was the structure of the groups in the study?

  Each group consisted of 7 individuals, including 6 confederates
• What were the three conditions in Moscovici's study?

  1. Consistent confederates: 2 confederates answered green for every slide
  2. Inconsistent confederates: answered green 24 out of 36 times
  3. Control group: no confederates present
• What percentage of participants responded green in the consistent condition?

  8%
• What percentage of participants responded green in the inconsistent condition?

  1. 25%
• What percentage of participants responded green in the control group?

  0.25%
• What are the strengths of Moscovici's study?

  • Provides evidence to support minority influence
  • Has practical applications, e.g., women's rights
• What are the limitations of Moscovici's study?

  • Idealistic application in real life
  • Questions the real value of minority opinions
• What conclusion can be drawn from Moscovici's study?

  Minority groups can influence majorities, especially when consistent
• What are the pros and cons of Moscovici's study?

  Pros:

  • Artificial and controlled variables
  • Assumes cause and effect relationship
  • Use of control group

  
  

  Cons:

  • Gender bias
  • Artificial task leading to lack of ecological validity
  • Limited generalizability and population validity
• What factors contribute to the effectiveness of minority influence?

  • Consistency: prompts careful consideration by others
  • Commitment: shows confidence and seriousness
  • Flexibility: balance needed to avoid being seen as narrow-minded
• What did Mugny (1982) suggest about flexibility in minority influence?

  Flexibility is more effective than being too rigid or too flexible
• How does consistency affect the perception of a minority opinion?

  Initially seen as an error, but consistent views prompt careful consideration