Uninformed persons can bring about majority decision
December 19th, 2011 - 3:12 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Dec 19 (IANS) History is witness to how a handful have succeeded in uniting whole societies behind them and directed their fate. Now, a research shows that uninformed individuals can bring about a majority decision, notwithstanding an authoritative minority.
“Our simulations initially confirmed what we expected, a small group that resolutely pursues a specific objective can dominate a larger group,” said Thilo Gross, researcher at the Max Planck Institute in German University of Bristol, UK.
“What surprised us was that a group of uninformed or undecided individuals can prevent this from happening,” added Gross, who led the study, according to a university statement.
Evidently the size of a group has greater attraction than the determination of a smaller party. The urge to go along with a relatively even-tempered majority frequently dominates over the attraction of an extremely determined minority.
“Our results are, therefore, applicable to all systems in which individuals would rather follow one another than enter into conflict and make decisions in the interests of their neighbours,” said researcher Ian Couzin from Princeton University.
“This is true of various social organisms such as, for example, shoals of fish, flocks of birds or herds of mammals. And of course our findings are also transferable to human societies,” he added.
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Tags: bristol uk, couzin, fate, flocks of birds, german university, handful, herds, human societies, majority decision, mammals, max planck, max planck institute, neighbours, organisms, princeton university, researcher, simulations, small group, university of bristol, urge