How Leaders Rise from Small Groups
The researchers, analyzing how participant responses evolved over the course of the experiment, found that individuals did not choose the simple majority rule, as posited by the wisdom of crowds. Rather, they dynamically decided whom to follow in making decisions, based on how well each group member performed over time. ... “Individuals used social information more and more over time, and the more accurate the information, the more influence it had over participants’ choices,” says Maurizio Porfiri, professor in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department and of biomedical engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. “Therefore, the relationship between participants’ performance and their social influence was reinforced over time, resulting in the emergence of group leaders.”
