3b. Evaluation of social processes in social change

What is the strength of social processes in social change?

Strength of social processes in social change=

• Research support for normative influences

Why is research support for normative influence a strength of social processes in social change?

Research support for normative influence a strength of social processes in social change=

One strength is that research has shown that social influence processes based on psychological research do work. Jessica Nolan et al. (2008) aimed to see if they could change people’s energy-use habits. The researchers hung messages on the front doors of houses in San Diego, California, every week for one month. The key message was that most residents were trying to reduce their energy usage. As a control, some residents had a different message that just asked them to save energy but made no reference to other people’s behaviour. There were significant cant decreases in energy usage in the first group compared to the second. This shows that conformity (majority influence) can lead to social change through the operation of normative social influence, i.e. it is a valid explanation.

What is the counterargument for research support for normative influence a strength of social processes in social change?

Counterpoint=

However some studies show that people’s behaviour is not always changed through exposing them to social norms. David Foxcroft et al. (2015) reviewed social norms interventions as part of the ‘gold standard’ Cochrane Collaboration. This review included 70 studies where the social norms approach was used to reduce student alcohol use. The researchers found only a small reduction in drinking quantity and no effect on drinking frequency. Therefore, it seems that using normative influence does not always produce long-term social change.

What is the limitation of social processes in social change?

Limitation of social processes in social change=

One limitation is that deeper processing may not play a role in how minorities bring about social change. Some people are supposedly converted because they think more deeply about the minority’s views. Diane Mackie (1987) disagrees and presents evidence that it is majority infl uence that may create deeper processing if you do not share their views. This is because we like to believe that other people share our views and think in the same ways as us. When we fi nd that a majority believes something diff erent, then we are forced to think long and hard about their arguments and reasoning. This means that a central element of minority infl uence has been challenged, casting doubt on its validity as an explanation of social change.