The role of censorship in minority influence

This study was conducted to determine the impact of censoring a minority who had argued persuasively against the majority. While there was no significant increase in minority influence when one‐third of the minority's message was censored, the minority was more effective when two‐thirds of its message was censored. The minority was most effective when two‐thirds of its message was censored and when the minority was prevented from continuing to espouse its position. The results were explained by the theory of psychological reactance.