Plural ignorance
situation in which a majority of group members privately reject a norm, but incorrectly assume that most others accept it, and therefore go along with it From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Plural ignorance or pluralistic ignorance is a term which gives a name to a situation where a majority of group members privately reject a norm, but at the same time, they assume incorrectly that most others accept it.[1] The term describes a context in which "no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes."[2]
A context of plural ignorance can be caused by the structure of the underlying social network.[3]
A situation of plural ignorance develops when each individual decision-maker in a group of decision-makers does not have the necessary information to solve a problem.[4]
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History
The term pluralistic ignorance was coined by Daniel Katz and Floyd H. Allport in 1931.[1]
Plural ignorance may partially explain why people are more likely to intervene in an emergency situation when alone than when other persons are present.[5] If people monitor the reactions of others in such a situation, they may conclude from the inaction of others that other people think that it is not necessary to act.
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References
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