Majority and minority sources usually exert different kinds of influence, which has been ascribed to the fact that the former are socially appreciated while the latter are derogated. In the present research we aimed to determine whether the differing evaluations of minority and majority represent automatic reactions. In two studies participants completed a lexical decision task in which the words ‘‘majority’’ and ‘‘minority’’ were introduced as primes. ‘‘Majority’’ as prime activated a slower recognition of negative than positive words, supporting the idea that the reaction to the term ‘‘majority’’ is primarily positive. The term ‘‘minority,’’ without any supplementary qualifi- cation, instead appeared unable to trigger a clear automatic reaction. Implications for social influence research are discussed.
Automatic reactions to the labels “minority” and “majority” are asymmetrical: Implications for minority and majority influence
FAINA, Angelica;PACILLI, Maria Giuseppina;
2011
Abstract
Majority and minority sources usually exert different kinds of influence, which has been ascribed to the fact that the former are socially appreciated while the latter are derogated. In the present research we aimed to determine whether the differing evaluations of minority and majority represent automatic reactions. In two studies participants completed a lexical decision task in which the words ‘‘majority’’ and ‘‘minority’’ were introduced as primes. ‘‘Majority’’ as prime activated a slower recognition of negative than positive words, supporting the idea that the reaction to the term ‘‘majority’’ is primarily positive. The term ‘‘minority,’’ without any supplementary qualifi- cation, instead appeared unable to trigger a clear automatic reaction. Implications for social influence research are discussed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
