minority influence

• MINORITY INFLUENCE

  • when members of the majority are converted to views of a minority
  • effectiveness can be affected by consistency, commitment and flexibility
• CONSISTENCY - need for this shown by MOSCOVICI

  • same message over time (in public)
  • diachronic consistency
  • all give same message
  • synchronic consistency
• COMMITMENT

  • willing to suffer for views
  • causes majority to take them seriously
  • proves acts aren’t out of self-interest
  • e.g. suffragettes hunger strike
• FLEXIBILITY - need for this shown by NEMETH

  • minority need to appear to consider validity of counter arguments
  • shows they are slightly compromising
  • to avoid appearing rigid and unbending - undesirable
• SNOWBALL EFFECT

  • majority is influenced by the minority gradually
  • the more converted, the faster the rate of conversion
• SOCIAL CRYPTOMNESIA

  • recalling change but forgetting what brought it about
• MOSCOVICI

  • 3 conditions
  • consistent - 8.2%
  • inconsistent - 1.25%
  • control - only 0.25% disagreed
  • task was valid, methodologically good
  • SHOWS NEED FOR CONSISTENCY
• NEMETH

  • mock jury, 3ppts 1 confederate
  • deciding on amount to give a ski lift accident victim
  • confederate wouldn’t change from low amount, ppts wouldn’t change from higher
  • when confederate changed slightly, so did the majority
  • SHOWS MINORITY SHOULD BALANCE CONSISTENCY AND FLEXIBILITY
• WOODS ET AL

  • meta analysis of 100 other studies
  • all showed more minority influence if opinions were consistent