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False Consensus Effect




This bias is commonly present in a group setting where one thinks the collective opinion of their own group matches that of the larger population. Since the members of a group reach a consensus and rarely encounter those who dispute it, they tend to believe that everybody thinks the same way.

There is no single cause for this Cognitive Bias ; the Availability Heuristic and Self-serving Bias have been suggested as at least partial underlying factors.


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REFERENCES


  • Ross L., Greene D. & House, P. (1977). The false consensus effect: an egocentric bias in social perception and attribution processes. ''Journal of Experimental Social Psychology'' 13, 279-301.


  • Fields, James M., and Howard Schuman, (1976-77) "Public Beliefs about the Beliefs of the Public," Public Opinion Quarterly, 40: 427-448.



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