The burden of social proof: shared thresholds and social influence

Psychological Review
Robert J MacCoun

Abstract

Social influence rises with the number of influence sources, but the proposed relationship varies across theories, situations, and research paradigms. To clarify this relationship, I argue that people share some sense of where the "burden of social proof" lies in situations where opinions or choices are in conflict. This suggests a family of models sharing 2 key parameters, one corresponding to the location of the influence threshold, and the other reflecting its clarity--a factor that explains why discrete "tipping points" are not observed more frequently. The plausibility and implications of this account are examined using Monte Carlo and cellular automata simulations and the relative fit of competing models across classic data sets in the conformity, group deliberation, and social diffusion literatures.

Citations

Aug 23, 2018·The British Journal of Social Psychology·Andrzej Nowak, Robin R Vallacher
Feb 28, 2014·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Robert J Maccoun
Jun 30, 2019·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Michael Muthukrishna, Mark Schaller
Apr 7, 2019·Nature Human Behaviour·Michael Muthukrishna, Joseph Henrich
Jun 28, 2018·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Francesca CapozziJelena Ristic

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