Minority and majority influence in freely interacting groups: Qualitative versus quantitative differences

Minority and majority influence were studied simultaneously within the context of freely interacting groups. It was hypothesized that minorities would act as a rein, reducing the degree of polarization in majority members' attitudes. The direction and magnitude of attitude change on a social issue in unanimous groups were compared to those of groups with either one or two minority members. In addition, the secondary effects of minority influence on cognitive processes, predicted by Nemeth (1986), were assessed using two thought listing tasks-one involving an issue discussed by the group and a second involving an issue that was not previously discussed. Results supported the 'minority as a rein' analogy as well as the predictions made by Nemeth. However, it appears that minority influence manifests itself differently depending on whether or not individual members have to defend their position during group interaction.