the process of change

How does the process of social change occcur

Over time people become converted - switch from minority to majority - more this happens, the faster the rate of conversion (*snow ball effect*)

Gradually minority view becomes majority = social change

What did moscovici argue that the minority behaviour causes

Causes a validation process = a cognitive process where people pay attention to the minority’s view to understand why hey commit to it so much

By continually thinking about minorities view people may come to accept it as correct = internalisation

What is another strength of minority causing influence on majority’s idea?

Evidence shows that a change in the majority’s positions dos involve deeper processing of the minority’s ideas

What is the research support for deeper processing

Robin martin

Presented a message supporting a specific viewpoint and measured the agreement form ppt

One group heard minority group agree with initial view

Another group heard majority group agree

People were less willing to change their opinions if they had listened to a minority group

Suggests that a minority message had been more deeply processed and had a more enduring effect - supports central argument that minority influence works

What is a counterpoint example fo a study

Martin study

Make clear distinctions between majority and minority

His study is in a controlled way - strength

But real world social influence is more complicated

E.g majorities have a lot more power than minorities

Minorities often very committed to their causes - they have to be because they often face very hostile opposition

These features are usually absent from minority influence research - minority simply smallest group

So martins findings are limitied / ecological validity

In moscovicis study , what was the figure for agreement with a consistent minority and what does it suggest

The figure for agreement with a consistent minority was very low (average 8%)

Suggests that minority influence is quite rare and not a useful concept

But when ppt wrote down their answers privately - more likely to agree with the minority view. This suggest that view expressed by people in public was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’