INDIRECT MINORITY INFLUENCE - EVIDENCE FOR LENIENCY IN-SOURCE EVALUATION AND COUNTER ARGUMENTATION

In-group minorities instigate indirect change because of their distinc tiveness, the unexpectedness of their position, and their common ident ity with their targets. Preliminary study (N = 408) uncovered links am ong a set of attitudes and revealed participants were unaware of the r elationship between some attitudes despite significant correlation and proximity in multidimensional space. Study 1 (N = 222) advocated a ba n of homosexual soldiers attributed to majority, in-group, or out-grou p minority sources. No direct influence was evident. When credited to an in-group minority, the message influenced attitudes toward gun cont rol, which were linked to the focal beliefs. Relative to other sources , the in-group minority was more positively evaluated, and its message less strongly counterargued (both p <.05). Study 2 (N = 78) reversed direct and indirect attitude objects and replicated these results. Stu dy 3 (N = 66) examined majority influence and revealed direct, but not indirect, majority influence when participants' membership group was threatened.