Social influence and social change
What is meant by social change refers to the ways in which society develops over times to
replace, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour with new widely accepted social norms
- How minority influence creates social change by looking at real world examples (the
African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s)
1. Drawing attention providing social proof. In 1950s black and white segregation
applied to all parts of America. E.g., separate black and white schools. civil rights
marches drew attention to this, providing social proof of the problem.
2. Consistency civil rights activists represented a minority of the population, but they
remained consistent. Millions of people over many years took part on the marches
portraying the same nonaggressive message.
3. Deeper processing activism caused many people who just accepted the situation to
begin to think deeply about the unjustness of it.
4. Augmentation principle individuals risked their lives numerous times. E.g., ‘freedom
riders’ boarded buses in the south challenging the segregation of transport, many were
beaten. This personal risk indicates belief and reinforces their message.
5. Snowball effect More and more people began to back the minority position
activists (Martin Luther King) gradually got the attention of the government. In 1964 the
US civil rights act prohibited discrimination, making a change from minority to majority.
6. Social cryptomnesia people have a memory change has occurred but don’t
remember how it happened.
Example of social change: shift in attitudes towards race and sexuality. Being racist and
homophobic used to be the norm, but after influence from minority groups it became accepted
as the norm and those who continue to be racist and homophobic are pressured to hide or
change. Hateful acts towards the minorities used to be accepted but are now illegal.
Lessons from conformity research
- Asch highlights the importance of dissent in one of his variations (one confederate gave
correct answers through the procedure), breaking the power of majority encouraging
others to do likewise. Dissent can lead to social change.
- Environmental and health campaigns exploit conformity processes by appealing to
normative social influence.
- They do this by giving info about what other people are doing e.g., preventing young
people from smoking by telling them other young people don’t smoke.
- Social change is encouraged by drawing attention to what the majority are doing.
Lessons from obedience research
What is meant by social change refers to the ways in which society develops over times to
replace, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour with new widely accepted social norms
- How minority influence creates social change by looking at real world examples (the
African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s)
1. Drawing attention providing social proof. In 1950s black and white segregation
applied to all parts of America. E.g., separate black and white schools. civil rights
marches drew attention to this, providing social proof of the problem.
2. Consistency civil rights activists represented a minority of the population, but they
remained consistent. Millions of people over many years took part on the marches
portraying the same nonaggressive message.
3. Deeper processing activism caused many people who just accepted the situation to
begin to think deeply about the unjustness of it.
4. Augmentation principle individuals risked their lives numerous times. E.g., ‘freedom
riders’ boarded buses in the south challenging the segregation of transport, many were
beaten. This personal risk indicates belief and reinforces their message.
5. Snowball effect More and more people began to back the minority position
activists (Martin Luther King) gradually got the attention of the government. In 1964 the
US civil rights act prohibited discrimination, making a change from minority to majority.
6. Social cryptomnesia people have a memory change has occurred but don’t
remember how it happened.
Example of social change: shift in attitudes towards race and sexuality. Being racist and
homophobic used to be the norm, but after influence from minority groups it became accepted
as the norm and those who continue to be racist and homophobic are pressured to hide or
change. Hateful acts towards the minorities used to be accepted but are now illegal.
Lessons from conformity research
- Asch highlights the importance of dissent in one of his variations (one confederate gave
correct answers through the procedure), breaking the power of majority encouraging
others to do likewise. Dissent can lead to social change.
- Environmental and health campaigns exploit conformity processes by appealing to
normative social influence.
- They do this by giving info about what other people are doing e.g., preventing young
people from smoking by telling them other young people don’t smoke.
- Social change is encouraged by drawing attention to what the majority are doing.
Lessons from obedience research
