Research into minority influence

• Moscovici et al. study


  • Investigated whether a consistent minority can influence a majority to give an incorrect answer in a colour perception task
  • 172 female participants tested for colour blindness
  • Divided into groups of 6, with 2 being confederates
  • Asked to state whether 36 blue-coloured slides were blue or green
• When confederates consistently stated slides were green

  8.42% of majority agreed
• When confederates gave inconsistent answers and said slides were blue


  Their influence dropped to 1.25%
• This suggests that the minority can have a powerful influence on the behaviours of others if they show consistency in their view