In a conversation before class, you find that you are the only person in your group to favor tuition increases. The other five students with whom you are talking strongly oppose tuition increases. What might you do to persuade them of your point of view?

What form of social influence would you rely on?
What will be an ideal response?

Answer: Typically, normative influence is used by majorities to bring minority group members into line with the majority opinion. Because you are a decided minority on this issue, you must rely on informational social influence. The key is to present your case consistently, being careful not to waver between two different viewpoints on the issue. In the face of a consistent and unwavering minority view, members of the majority have been known to sit up and take notice when the minority uses informational social influence to present them with new unexpected information that encourages them to examine the issue more carefully.