The Process of Achieving Group Uniformity

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of group size and percentage of the subjects starting with majority behavior upon the process of achieving behavioral uniformity. Four groups of 12 and five groups of 24 subjects were formed. The starting points at the beginning of the experiments were set to 50%, 67%, and 83%. Each subject was given a B5 size card having different colors on the front and the back and showed either side of the cards to others. Subjects shared the goal of achieving uniformity by selecting one of two color options. Analysis indicated that group size did not affect time to complete unanimity and a logistic function was found between the transition probability and the rate of diffusion. According to a Markov model, subjects do not react to the past history of the group. We found that the transition probability was dependent upon not only the percentage of individuals at a given moment but also the initial value in the beginning. This means that the transition probability was influenced by past history.