Group dynamics significantly impact responses on the cognitive reflection test, with 83% of individuals answering at least one question incorrectly in solo conditions. However, in a group setting, usually of three or more members, the entire group tends to shift from wrong to correct answers through discussions. This phenomenon stems from the cognitive division between generating arguments and evaluating others' reasoning. Individuals naturally produce biased arguments but rely on group discussions to assess and refine these arguments collectively. Group deliberations allow for the dissection of flawed reasoning and the integration of various perspectives, eventually leading to a cohesive group consensus that evolves with each interaction.
Deliberation. Debate. Conversation. Though it can feel like that’s what we are doing online as we trade arguments back and forth, most of the places where we currently gather make it much easier to produce arguments in isolation rather than evaluate them together in groups. The latest research suggests we will need much more of the latter if we hope to create a new, modern, functioning marketplace of ideas. In this episode, psychologist Tom Stafford takes us through his research into how to do just that.
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