lopwww6 A02 marks

What are the implications for social change of research into social
influence?
Social influence research has helped us to understand the psychological
processes which are involved in bringing about social change. This has
implications for the future, in that knowledge of these processes can be
applied to help bring about positive social changes in society.
Social change is usually a result of minority influence. This is when a small
group of people (the minority) manage to persuade the majority to adopt
their point of view. This also links to independent behaviour, because the
minority resists pressures to conform and/or obey.
Moscovici found that consistency is the most important factor in deciding
whether the minority are influential or not. This means that the minority
must be clear on what they are asking for and not change their minds, or
disagree amongst themselves. Mosovici also found that commitment,
flexibility and relevance were important factors. Therefore, the minority
must show dedication to their cause, and must be willing to compromise
sometimes. Also, the cause they are promoting must be relevant to the
majority this means that they must be interested in what is happening, and
that the time is right for change.
It has been found that once the minority begin to persuade people round to
their way of thinking, a snowball effect begins to happen. This means that
more and more people adopt the minority opinion, until gradually the
minority becomes the majority. At this point, the people who have not
changed their opinion are the minority, and they will often conform to the
majority view as a result of group pressures. The majority opinion then
becomes law, and people have to obey this law. Once this happens, the
minority opinion has become the dominant position in society, and people do
often not even remember where the opinion originated from. This is a
process known as crypto amnesia.

6 A02 marks
What are the implications for social change of research into social
influence?

The implications of social influence research for social change can be

understood in terms of the case of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. This is a case where the influence of one woman set into motion a
series of changes which led from black Americans being forbidden from
trying on clothes in shops fifty some years ago, to the inauguration of
Americas first black president in 2008.
Rosas behaviour in refusing to give up her seat could be explained by
research into the effect of individual differences on independent behaviour.
It has been found that people with an internal locus of control (Rotter) are
more likely to act independently because they believe they have control over
what happens to them. This means that Rosa believed that her actions could
make a difference. Also, she may have had a personality that was low in
authoritarianism (Adorno). This means that she was not brought up to
blindly obey rules, but to question them if she considered them unfair.
So Rosa may have been a particular type of person, but there are also factors
about the situation that may have prompted her to act as she did. For
example, research has shown that people who initiate social change are
usually of a minority and are of low social status, both of which applied to
Rosa. They may also feel oppressed, and resent having to conform or obey to
unjust laws and norms. Research has shown that this leads to reactance
where people rebel against obedience, and anti-conformity where they
refuse to conform. This appears to have happened in Rosas case, as when
asked why she wouldnt move she said she didnt see why she should have
to.