Minority Influence

Serge Moscovici et al. found a consistent minority opinion had a greater effect on other poeple than an inconsistent opinion.

Wood et al. conducted a meta-analysis of almost 100 similar studies and found that minoirities seen as being consistent were most influential.

This confirms that consistency is a major factor in minoirty influence. 

Martin et al. gave participants a message supporting a particular viewpoint, and attitudes measured. Then they heard an endoresement of the view from either a minoirty or a majoirty. Finally they heard a conflicting view, attitudes measured.

People were less willing to change their opinions to the new conflicting view if they had listened to a minoirty group than if they listened to a majoirty group.

This suggests that the minority message had been more deeply processed and had a more enduring effect. 

Moscovici's task was identifying the colour a slide, far removed from how minorities try to change majoirty opinion in real life. 

in jury decision-making and policitcal campaigning, outcomes are vastly more important, maybe a matter of life death.

Findings of studies lack external validity and are limited in what they tell us about how minoirty influence works in real-life situations. 

Moscovici varied his study: participants wrote their answers down, so their responses were private. Agreement with the minoirty was greater.

This shows that internalisation took place. Members of the majority had been reluctant to admit thier 'conversion' publically.

This shows people may be influenced by a minority but don't admit it, therefore the effect of the minoirty is not apparent. 

Studies make a clear distinction between majority and minority, but real-life situations are more complicated.

The differences is about more than just numbers. Majorities usually have power and status. Minoirites are committed and tight-knit groups whose members know and support each other.

Minority influence research rarely relfects the dynamic of these groups so findings may not apply to real-life minority influence situations which exert a more powerful influence.