Scientific Definition
Groups make more extreme decisions than individuals would alone.
Plain-English Definition
Groups make more extreme decisions than individuals would alone.
Feynman Explanation
A committee is more radical than any of its members.
Core Principle
Groups make more extreme decisions than individuals would alone.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Groups make more extreme decisions than individuals would alone.
Pending editorial review.
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Consensus can amplify risk, not reduce it.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
A committee is more radical than any of its members.
Examples
- A board approves a riskier deal after group discussion than any member would individually.
- Consensus can amplify risk, not reduce it.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Require pre-commitment of individual views before group discussion.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Require pre-commitment of individual views before group discussion.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Disagreement grows more extreme as the parties think more about the issue.
Faces and brands look more appealing in a group than individually.
A group decides on a course of action that nobody actually wants, because everyone assumes others prefer it.
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
We attribute our own actions to situations but others' actions to their character.
We favor people who are similar to us or who like us.
Sacrificing for others without expecting a personal reward.
Masking the sponsors of a message to make it appear grassroots.
Systematic errors in explaining the causes of behavior — yours or others'.
We accept vague, general statements as personally meaningful.
Adding the word 'because' (with any reason) increases compliance dramatically.
Behaviors spread through groups via observation and imitation.