Minority Influence 7

Minority Influence

Form of social influence - members of the majority group change their beliefs or behaviours because of the minority influencing their decision.

Leads to internalisation.

The minority must be consistent, show commitment and be flexible in their behaviour.

Consistency

If the minority keep to the same beliefs over time (diachronic synchrony) and between all individuals that form the minority (synchronic consistency).

The majority then reassess the situation and consider the minority idea more carefully

Commitment

Minority must show dedication + make personal sacrifices when facing a majority.

Some minorities engage in quite extreme activities to draw attention to their views. If these activities present some risk to the minority - shows greater commitment.

Majority groups may then pay even more attention. This is known as the augmentation principle.

Flexibility

Whilst consistency of argument is imp. - too much can be seen as dogmatic + rigid + may stop the majority moving over to the minority viewpoint.

Members of the minority need to be prepared to adapt their point of view and accept reasonable counter-arguments.

The key is to strike a balance between consistency and flexibility.

What hapens if minority stays consistent. committed and flexible?

Majority listen to their ideas, internalise them and move over to the minority’s viewpoint.

This starts slowly but builds momentum with more and more people moving over to the minority view point (snowball effect)

Until eventually, the minority view point is now the majority’s viewpoint.

Suffregettes AO3

RTS : Moscovici

Moscovici et al - 2 confederates sat with a majority group of six participants, they were shown blue slides that differed in intensity and had to state the colour. 

When the minority consistently called the blue slides green - pps gv same wrong answer 8 % of time / when minority inconsistently called blue slides green agreement fell to 1%.

Supports the notion that consistency is important when a minority is influencing a majority.

Moscovici AO3 (-)

Lacks mundane realism - used an unrealistic task (pps had to state whether the color of a card).

Diff. to generalise findings to explain how minorities attempt to change the behaviour of majorities as in real life situations, outcomes are more important such as when ppl are in a situation there might be a consequence to.

Thus - lowers the external validity

RTS (+)

Nemeth + Brilmayer - created mock jury situation - decide amount of compensation to be paid to someone involved in a ski lift accident

When confederate put forward alternative point of view + refused to change his position - no effect on other group members

Confederate who compromised - did hv effect on rest of group.

Supports - shows when minority is flexible - can hv affect on majority.