Avoiding groupthink: Whereas weakly identified members remain silent, strongly identified members dissent about collective problems
Packer measured how strongly 78 undergraduates identified with their university with a six-item scale, then asked each to rate privately how harmful they judged problems they had named themselves, to estimate how harmful other students judged them, and to rate their concern as an online chat with three fellow students began. Weakly identified students voiced concern publicly mainly when they believed others shared it, and their public concern fell when they believed others did not. Strongly identified students voiced concern about problems they judged harmful whether or not they believed others agreed. Identification was measured, not manipulated. Packer presents the result as grounds for cautious optimism that members who care about a group can dissent about collective problems.
Packer measured how strongly 78 undergraduates identified with their university with a six-item scale, then asked each to rate privately how harmful they judged problems they had named themselves, to estimate how harmful other students judged them, and to rate their concern as an online chat with three fellow students began. Weakly identified students voiced concern publicly mainly when they believed others shared it, and their public concern fell when they believed others did not. Strongly identified students voiced concern about problems they judged harmful whether or not they believed others agreed. Identification was measured, not manipulated. Packer presents the result as grounds for cautious optimism that members who care about a group can dissent about collective problems.
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Packer, D. J. (2009). Avoiding groupthink: Whereas weakly identified members remain silent, strongly identified members dissent about collective problems. Psychological Science, 20(5), 546-548. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02333.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02333.x