Argument quality and group member status as determinants of attitudinal minority influence

Abstract

The study examined how individual status characteristics influence minority member persuasiveness. Participants were given photographs of a four‐person group and a transcript of their discussion. One group member was identified as holding a minority opinion. Five variables were orthogonally manipulated: minority member occupational status, minority member expertise, minority member attractiveness, minority argument quality, and majority argument quality. Results demonstrated that although all variables influenced perceived status, only relative argument quality had a direct impact on attitude change. The findings suggest an interaction of normative and informational influences in determining minority member effectiveness.