2b. Evaluation for minority influence

What is the strength of minority influence?

Strength of minority influence=

• Research support for consistency

Why is research support for consistency, a strength of minority influence?

Research support for consistency, a strength of minority influence=

One strength is research evidence demonstrating the importance of consistency. Moscovici et al.’s blue/green slide study showed that a consistent minority opinion had a greater effect on changing the views of other people than an inconsistent opinion. Wendy Wood et al. (1994) carried out a meta-analysis of almost 100 similar studies and found that minorities who were seen as being consistent were most influential. This suggests that presenting a consistent view is a minimum requirement for a minority trying to influence a majority.

What is the limitation of minority influence?

Limitation of minority influence=

• artificial tasks

Why are artificial tasks a limitation of minority influence?

Artificial tasks are a limitation of minority influence=

One limitation of minority infl uence research is that the tasks involved are oft en just as artifi cial as Asch’s line judgement task. This includes Moscovici et al.’s task of identifying the colour of a slide. Research is therefore far removed from how minorities attempt to change the behaviour of majorities in real life. In cases such as jury decision-making and political campaigning, the outcomes are vastly more important, sometimes even literally a matter of life or death. This means fi ndings of minority infl uence studies are lacking in external validity; i.e ecological validity due to the lab setting and mundane realism due to the artfiicial tasks, and are limited in what they can tell us about how minority influence works in real-world social situations.