Minority Influence & Social Change

While conformity involves the influence of a majority on an individual, minority influence involves a small group (or individual) changing the attitudes and behaviours of a larger group. This topic is central to understanding how social change occurs — from the suffragette movement to civil rights and environmental activism.

Key Definition: Minority influence is a form of social influence in which a minority of people persuade others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviours. It leads to internalisation — a genuine, lasting change of private opinion.

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Moscovici's Blue-Green Slide Study (1969)

Serge Moscovici et al. (1969) conducted a landmark study to demonstrate that a consistent minority can influence the majority.

Procedure

• Groups of six participants were asked to judge the colour of 36 slides that were all clearly different shades of blue.
• In each group, two confederates (the minority) were instructed to give specific answers.
• Consistent condition: The two confederates called every slide "green."
• Inconsistent condition: The two confederates called the slides "green" on 24 out of 36 trials and "blue" on the remaining 12.
• A control group had no confederates.

Findings