Social influence and social change

• What is a real-world example of minority influence leading to social change?

  The African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s
• What are the steps in how minority social influence creates social change?

  1. Drawing attention through social proof
  2. Consistency
  3. Deeper processing of the issue
  4. The augmentation principle
  5. The snowball effect
  6. Social cryptomnesia
• How did civil rights marches draw attention to social issues in the 1950s?

  They provided social proof of the problem of segregation
• What was the position of civil rights activists during the movement?

  They represented a minority of the American population but remained consistent in their message
• What effect did civil rights activism have on people's perceptions of the status quo?

  It led many to think deeply about the unjustness of segregation
• What does the augmentation principle refer to in the context of minority influence?

  It refers to individuals risking their lives, which reinforces their message
• Who were the 'freedom riders' and what did they do?

  They were mixed ethnic groups who challenged racial segregation in transport
• What was the snowball effect in the context of the civil rights movement?

  It refers to activists gradually gaining the attention of the US government and more public support
• What does social cryptomnesia mean?

  It means people remember that change has occurred but do not remember how it happened
• What did Solomon Asch's research highlight about dissent?

  Dissent can break the power of the majority and encourage others to do likewise
• How do environmental and health campaigns use normative social influence?

  They provide information about what other people are doing to encourage social change
• What did Stanley Milgram's research demonstrate about disobedient role models?

  Disobedient role models can significantly reduce the rate of obedience
• What is the process of gradual commitment as suggested by Philip Zimbardo?

  Once a small instruction is obeyed, it becomes harder to resist larger ones
• What did Jessica Nolan et al. (2008) aim to investigate?

  They aimed to see if they could change people's energy-use habits through normative messages
• What was the outcome of Nolan et al.'s study regarding energy usage?

  There were significant decreases in energy usage in the group exposed to normative messages
• What did David Foxcroft et al. (2015) find in their review of social norms interventions?

  They found only a small reduction in drinking quantity and no effect on drinking frequency
• What does Charlan Nemeth (2009) claim about minority influence?

  Minority influence leads to divergent thinking, which inspires better decisions
• What is the limitation regarding deeper processing in minority influence?

  Some argue that deeper processing may actually occur due to majority influence instead
• What evidence did Diane Mackie (1987) present regarding majority influence?

  She argued that majority influence can lead to deeper processing when views differ
• How does minority influence differ from majority influence in terms of social change?

  Minority influence encourages divergent thinking, while majority influence may lead to conformity
• What is the significance of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964?

  It prohibited discrimination, marking a change from minority to majority support for civil rights
• What is the main focus of environmental and health campaigns using normative social influence?

  To encourage social change by highlighting what the majority is doing
• What is the role of disobedient role models in social change according to Milgram's research?

  They can significantly reduce obedience rates among individuals
• What is the concept of gradual commitment in social influence?

  It refers to the process where small instructions lead to larger ones being followed
• What did the study by Jessica Nolan et al. (2008) focus on?

  Changing people's energy-use habits through normative messages
• What was the conclusion of Foxcroft et al.'s (2015) review on social norms interventions?

  They found limited effectiveness in reducing alcohol consumption
• What does Nemeth (2009) argue about the impact of minority influence?

  It stimulates new ideas and opens minds
• What does Mackie (1987) suggest about majority influence?

  It may create deeper processing when views differ