Groupthink and Decision Making Concepts

A collection of vocabulary flashcards based on key concepts related to groupthink and decision-making processes.

Groupthink

A phenomenon where group pressures lead to poor decision-making and a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment.

Symptoms of Groupthink

Key signs that indicate a group may be experiencing groupthink, such as illusion of invulnerability, collective rationalization, and self-censorship.

Illusion of Invulnerability

A symptom of groupthink characterized by excessive optimism that leads members to take extreme risks.

Collective Rationalization

A symptom where members dismiss warnings and refrain from reconsidering their assumptions.

Self-Censorship

When members of a group choose to withhold their opinions or doubts about the group's consensus.

Illusion of Unanimity

The false belief that everyone in the group agrees, often stemming from members' silence.

Mindguarding

A practice where members shield the group from contradictory information or opinions.

Pressure Dissenters

The act of applying pressure on those who disagree with the majority opinion, directly or indirectly.

External Pressures

External conditions, such as time pressure and recent failures, that make a group more susceptible to groupthink.

Devil's Advocate

A role assigned to challenge ideas and promote critical discussion within a group to mitigate groupthink.

Cognitive Biases

Tendencies to process information in biased ways that can lead to errors in judgment during decision-making.

Information Overload

A situation where an excess of information leads to confusion and poor decision-making.

Analytical Decision-Making

A systematic approach to decision-making that incorporates data analysis and evidence-based strategies.

Crowdsourcing

The practice of obtaining input or solutions from a large group of people, often used in decision-making.

Empathy in Decision-Making

The role emotions play in correcting ethical errors and influencing decisions positively when managed well.

Pre-Mortem Analysis

A technique used to evaluate the potential failure points of a decision before it is implemented.