Invitation to Psychology

358 ChapteR 10 Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

what they want to do and to demote or fire those

who disagree on the grounds that they are being

“disloyal.” Perhaps a key quality of great leaders

is that they are able to rise above this temptation.

The Wisdom and Madness of

Crowds LO 10.12

On the TV quiz show “Who Wants to Be a

Millionaire?”, contestants are given the chance to ask

the audience how it would answer a question. This

gimmick comes straight from a phenomenon known

as the “wisdom of crowds”: the fact that a crowd’s

judgment is often more accurate than that of most

of its individual members (Surowiecki, 2004; Vul &

Pashler, 2008). But crowds can create havoc, too.

They can spread gossip, rumors, misinformation,

and panic as fast as the flu. They can turn from joyful

and peaceful to violent and destructive in a flash.

Diffusion of responsibility. Suppose you

were in trouble on a city street or in another public

place—say, being mugged or having a sudden ap-

pendicitis attack. Do you think you would be more

likely to get help if (1) one other person was pass-

ing by, (2) several other people were in the area, or

(3) dozens of people were in the area? Most people

would choose the third answer, but that is not how

he and his team ignored dissenters and evidence

from intelligence agencies that neither claim was

true (Mayer, 2009). The agencies themselves later

accused the Bush administration of “groupthink.”

Watch the Video IT Video: Group Thinking at

MyPsychLab

Fortunately, groupthink can be minimized if

the leader rewards the expression of doubt and dis-

sent, protects and encourages minority views, asks

group members to generate as many alternative

solutions to a problem as they can think of, and has

everyone try to think of the risks and disadvantages

of the preferred decision. Resistance to groupthink

can also be fostered by creating a group identity

that encourages members to think of themselves

as open-minded problem solvers rather than invul-

nerable know-it-alls (Turner, Pratkanis, & Samuels,

2003). When group members identify strongly

with the collective enterprise, they are more likely

to offer dissenting opinions because they are less

willing to support a decision they regard as harm-

ful to the group’s goal (Packer, 2009).

Not all leaders want to run their groups this

way, of course. For many people in positions of

power, from presidents to company executives

to movie moguls, the temptation is great to sur-

round themselves with others who agree with

Get Involved! Would You Speak up?

You have been reading in this chapter about why people go along with others, not wanting to be “rude” or

disobedient (as in the Milgram experiment), or conforming in order to be liked and accepted. Now imagine

that you are hanging out with friends when one makes an ugly remark about “those people,” not knowing

that you are actually one of “those people.” You feel angry and embarrassed, but would you say anything?

Why or why not? If you think you would speak up, what would you say? Would you speak up if the ugly

remark was not about your own group?

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