Moscovici and colleagues carried out a very famous study of minority social influence. Six participants were told to estimate the colour of 36 slides. All the slides were blue but a filter was used to make them appear lighter or darker. The aim was to see whether a consistent minority of participants could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer on a colour perception task.
172 participants were involved in the experiment, all with perfect eyesight; and they were sent into a room in groups of 6 to estimate the colour of the slides. Two of the participants were confederates. There were two conditions: consistency and inconsistency with their answer. Moscovici found that participants in the consistent condition yielded and called the slides green 8. 4% of the time. 32% of the participants reported green at least once.
Participants in the inconsistent condition yielded only 1. 3% of the time. Consistency is of course an important factor when the minority social group exerts pressure on the majority. It shows us how inconsistent minorities lack any influence upon majorities. Moscovici was criticised upon two counts. The setting of the experiment was very artificial and so is unlike real-life situations where minorities exert pressure upon the prevailing majority opinion.
Later research proved that consistency alone would not ensure minority influence. They must also avoid appearing rigidly inflexible. oooooo oooooo oooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo oooooooooo oooooo oooooooo oooooooooo oooooo ooo oooooooooo oooooo ooooooo oooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooo oooooooo ooooooo oooo oooooooo ooooooo ooo ooooo ooooo oooooo ooooooo oooooo ooooooo oooooo oooooo oooo ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo oooooo.
The Term Paper on Minority Rights Protection Minorities Majority
Minority: A racial, religious, or other group regarded as being different from the larger group of which it is part (Webster's Dictionary). Should the majority, defined only as the larger of the smaller, be given more rights to government concerns than minorities Should size govern the decisions of the nation Some individuals believe that the desires of the majority are more important than the ...
