AQA A-Level Psychology - MINORITY INFLUENCE [Social Influence Topic]

This fully editable lesson is designed for the AQA A-Level Specification (June 2019), focusing on Minority Influence within the topic of Social Influence. It explores how a minority can impact the beliefs and behaviors of the majority through the processes of consistency, commitment, and flexibility. With engaging activities, critical evaluations, and research-based examples such as Moscovici’s blue-green slide study, students will develop a thorough understanding of minority influence in social settings.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Lesson Slides: Introduces students to key concepts of minority influence, including the roles of consistency, commitment, and flexibility. Real-world examples like the Civil Rights Movement and LGBTQ+ rights are used to illustrate the power of minority influence in driving social change.

• Interactive Activities: Includes a variety of engaging activities, such as a “Do Now” prompt, think-pair-share discussions, and case studies. Students analyze how minority groups can lead to internalization and long-lasting attitude changes using concepts like the snowball effect and deeper processing.

• Research-Based Insights: Provides a detailed analysis of Moscovici’s blue-green slide study, explaining how consistency in a minority’s viewpoint can lead to greater influence. Research from Wood et al. and Martin et al. is also used to highlight key findings on minority influence.

• Assessment Materials: Features exam practice questions that challenge students to apply their understanding of conformity and minority influence to hypothetical scenarios. For example, they are asked to explain how a small group of students could convince their peers to adopt an environmentally-friendly initiative using the key principles of minority influence.

• Critical Evaluation: Students are encouraged to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of research into minority influence, including the artificial nature of tasks like identifying the color of slides and the challenges of studying minority influence in real-world settings.

This resource is ideal for both classroom teaching and independent study, equipping students with a comprehensive understanding of how minority groups can drive social change and influence majority opinions.