Psychology social influence

Created by: ifedomsky
Created on: 03-04-21 18:30

Social influence processes in social change.
Social change
Social Norms interventions

Social change - occurs when a society or section of society adopts a new belief and then becomes accepted as the norm.

Social norms intervention - an attempt to correct misperceptions of the normative behaviour of peers in an attempt to change the risky

1 of 5

Social change through minority influence.

1. Drawing attention to an issue
2. Cognitive conflict
3. Consistency of position
4. the Augmentation principle
5. The snowball effect

1. Minorities can bring about social change by drawing attention to an issue. E.g the Suffragettes used educational, political, and militant tactics to draw attention to inequalities.
2. Minority causes conflict between the majority position and their own

2 of 5

Evaluation

The roll played by minority influence may be limited since minorities rarely bring about social change quickly - people are more likely to maintain the status quo than engage in social change.

Schultz et al (2007) the 'boomerang effect'
A

Minorities have the problem of avoiding being portrayed as deviants in order to persuade the majority to embrace their position.

Being perceived as deviant limits the influence of minorities

3 of 5

Moscovici (1969)
Procedure - groups of 4 naïve participants and 2 confeds
Shown blue slides varying in intensity but confeds called them green
Group 1: confeds answered consistently
Group 2 : confeds answered inconsistently

Findings:
Consistent minority influenced naïve participants to say green on 8% of trails

Inconsistent minority had very little influence

4 of 5

Authoritarian personality

People scoring high on F scale raised within authoritarian family background (Adorno et al)

5 of 5

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Back

Social change through minority influence.

1. Drawing attention to an issue
2. Cognitive conflict
3. Consistency of position
4. the Augmentation principle
5. The snowball effect

Card 3

Front

Minorities have the problem of avoiding being portrayed as deviants in order to persuade the majority to embrace their position.

Being perceived as deviant limits the influence of minorities

Back

Card 4

Front

Findings:
Consistent minority influenced naïve participants to say green on 8% of trails

Inconsistent minority had very little influence

Back

Card 5

Front

Back

Similar Psychology resources:

See all Psychology resources »

See all Conformity resources »

Get Revising

Psychology social influence