The Paradox of Group Mind: "People in a Group" Have More Mind Than "a Group of People"

Three studies examine how subtle shifts in framing can alter the mind perception of groups. Study 1 finds that people generally perceive groups to have less mind than individuals. However, Study 2 demonstrates that changing the framing of a group from "a group of people" to "people in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. General 2017-05, Vol.146 (5), p.691-699
Main Authors: Cooley, Erin, Payne, B. Keith, Cipolli, William, Cameron, C. Daryl, Berger, Alyssa, Gray, Kurt
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Cognition
Emotions
Experimental psychology
Female
Framing Effects
Group Dynamics
Group Processes
Human
Humans
Linguistics
Male
Middle Aged
Mind
Morality
Morals
Perception
Perceptions
Social Perception
Sympathy
Young Adult
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Summary:Three studies examine how subtle shifts in framing can alter the mind perception of groups. Study 1 finds that people generally perceive groups to have less mind than individuals. However, Study 2 demonstrates that changing the framing of a group from "a group of people" to "people in a group," substantially increases mind perception-leading to comparable levels of mind between groups and individuals. Study 3 reveals that this change in framing influences people's sympathy for groups, an effect mediated by mind perception. We conclude that minor linguistic shifts can have big effects on how groups are perceived-with implications for mind perception and sympathy for mass suffering.
ISSN:0096-3445
1939-2222
DOI:10.1037/xge0000293