• Question: how do you feel about moscovichis resarch?

    Asked by beth m on 19 Jun 2023.
    • Photo: Andra Jones

      Andra Jones answered on 19 Jun 2023:

      I think it’s interesting, it also makes me a little sad because I think todays society makes it harder and harder for minority influence to come about. Group dynamics though is a very important aspect of society that we still don’t fully understand and I think his research helps us to remember that research should be balanced and taking one view of a research area is never a good idea.

    • Photo: Ben Ford

      Ben Ford answered on 20 Jun 2023:

      It can be very difficult to accurately assess research of the past because psychological methods (and ethics!) develop and have improved greatly in recent years. There are many issues with Moscovici’s research that mean it is hard to understand what the true value of it is. On a broader level, however, it did well to steer attention towards minority influence (even if the methods would not be considered ethical or robust in today’s research landscape). Even more generally, it investigates a very interesting and complex area of psychology, with minority effects often being indirect and delayed, and (at least initially) mostly impacting private attitudes. It is also very important to consider the minority influence in light of the broader societal context.

    • Photo: Chloe Tasker

      Chloe Tasker answered on 23 Jun 2023:

      I think it is very interesting research, but it does have it’s limitations! Being conducted in a lab means it might not be valid outside of the lab. I also wonder if it would still work out today!

Comments