Cognitive responses to minority- or majority-based communications: Factors that underlie minority influence

This study is concerned with reactions aroused when a person encounters a pro- or counter-attitudinal message presented by a source oi majority, in-group/minority or out-group/minority status. It is proposed that these reactions may help explain the pattern of delayed, indirect, attitude change observed in instances of minority influence, and the direct and immediate changes often found in majority influence. Employing a standard attitude change design, the research demonstrates that participants exposed to a communication attributed to a minority in-group are more prone than those exposed to either a majority or our-group minority to approbate the source's message, elaborate and recall the message's contents, and approbate the communication source. The manner in which this pattern of responses explicates common Findings in the minority influence literature is discussed.