# Psychological term for following others **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908 "2005-11-20T09:35:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/1 "2005-11-20T09:35:55Z")
Look, there’s a prevailing sentiment against the hoi polloi on these boards b/c we see them as ‘sheep’ and as ignorant masses, the great unwashed; but seriously, I’m one of those guys who doesn’t think you give Americans enough credit when it comes to things like rationalizing and critical thinking. Yeah, they don’t know as much about history or chemical engineering, or words, or \_\_ as we do- Not only that, but many of them don’t even care enough to inform themselves about some pretty important things. But don’t underestimate their rationalizing and critical thinking, as I say; I would argue that we tend to go so far in our view of non-Dopers as to see them as lemmings running off a cliff- and yes, when they bow down to certain religions or party politics or John Edward :smack:, or when we see the worst of them on America’s Dumbest Criminals or read about them in the Darwin awards, my argument seems laughable. ---
**Author:** ![andrewdt85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71e660/32.png) [@andrewdt85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewdt85)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/2 "2005-11-20T09:42:54Z")
I’ll just spit it out: at my grocery store, we always bag in plastic unless the customer asks for paper. I believe I’ve noticed that if one customer asks for paper, the other customer in line is more likely to ask for paper, and so on in that line. One obvious answer is that people sometimes don’t put too much thought into the choice unless they see the paper bags and that reminds them of a better option to take, but- is there a psychological term for when a human being is more likely to do something he/she sees other humans doing? Of course, we immediately think of Nazi Germany (Okay, maybe just me :p), but that’s different- that’s when the moral blame is spread over many people and the group is able to act w/o inhibitions. I’m just talking about humans making a choice based on what was made before them and before them and… Kinda vague, I know… Oh, and the intro there was b/c I DON’T WANT ANY ANSWERS SIMPLY SAYING “well, people are generally stupid.” I just don’t want to hear that **shit** anymore, to be honest. You underestimate the reasoning faculties of other Americans, even if they don’t know Chaucer the way you do. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/3 "2005-11-20T17:17:40Z")
Conformity ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/4 "2005-11-20T18:33:01Z")
**andrew**. I’ve moved this to the Pit for you. While you _finally_ got around to asking your question, you put in so much **shit** with it that I made the decision that you really wanted a rant. Fine. **Please** try to think critically about where you start your threads. I’m getting tired of moving them from GQ. **samclem** GQ moderator. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/5 "2005-11-20T18:45:50Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > I’ll just spit it out: at my grocery store, we always bag in plastic unless the customer asks for paper. I believe I’ve noticed that if one customer asks for paper, the other customer in line is more likely to ask for paper, and so on in that line > \ > Of course, we immediately think of Nazi Germany > \ > Oh, and the intro there was b/c I DON’T WANT ANY ANSWERS SIMPLY SAYING “well, people are generally stupid.” Yeah…I don’t think that last part is going to be a problem. I’m pretty sure your OP is not going to generate a lot of replies about _people_ being generally stupid… ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/6 "2005-11-20T18:51:49Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > Kinda vague, I know… Oh, and the intro there was b/c I DON’T WANT ANY ANSWERS SIMPLY SAYING “well, people are generally stupid.” I just don’t want to hear that **shit** anymore, to be honest. You underestimate the reasoning faculties of other Americans, even if they don’t know Chaucer the way you do. 😉 I don’t think people are generally stupid, they just tend to do what’s expedient. I don’t think Americans have a corner on that market. It’s pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/7 "2005-11-20T19:26:03Z")
Rationalize is an interesting word choice from you given your first two posts in this thread, and your posts in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=345709) this thread. I think they also stand as testimonials to the value of critical thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/8 "2005-11-20T20:33:01Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > my argument seems laughable. Just make a macro of this and use it every time you feel like posting. Except change “seems” to “is.” ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/9 "2005-11-20T20:40:15Z")
You sure are on a tear this morning. Co-worker forget to refill the coffee pot or something? Filters are in the cabinet to your left. Your other left. There you go. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/10 "2005-11-20T22:47:30Z")
I’m with you. I think it’s a form of collectivist self-preservation. It’s not that people are stupid, it’s that they do not feel it is necessary to devote any mental bandwidth to anything but their own personal problems and the next reality TV show. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/11 "2005-11-20T22:59:47Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > I’m one of those guys who doesn’t think you give Americans enough credit when it comes to things like rationalizing and critical thinking. Well, if you’re using your own abilities as a reference point, i can see why you might think that. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/12 "2005-11-21T02:16:32Z")
I wouldn’t think that people tend to do their most critical thinking in a grocery store line. So when someone ahead of them jogs their memories with reminders that paper is probably better to use than plastic, they’ll be more likely to think to ask for it. I don’t know that there is a psychological term for having your brain “nudged,” but at my age, I appreciate it. I agree with you. I don’t think that “they” are stupid. Anecdotal evidence to the contrary just sticks in our minds longer. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/13 "2005-11-21T02:21:21Z")
Andrew, is this more about you and how you view the world than the subscribers to this message board? Are you afeared of being one of the masses that you secretly distain? I agree, there are a few that speak from a superior vantage point, but not really that many. There also tends to be an overabundance of IQ and not quite as much EQ at times. but not often. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/14 "2005-11-21T02:26:53Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > I’m one of those guys who doesn’t think you give Americans enough credit when it comes to things like rationalizing and critical thinking. Spoken like a man who lives too close to Washington DC. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/15 "2005-11-21T02:29:14Z")
Andrew, it’s generally not a good idea to post after you’ve been huffing rubber cement. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/16 "2005-11-21T02:57:06Z")
“Convergence effect”? That’s where people change their answers based on others’ answers. Asch was the researcher. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/17 "2005-11-21T05:42:25Z")
“Activation energy”? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/18 "2005-11-21T06:37:34Z")
well, people are generally stupid. Honestly, people, someone should have beaten me to that by now. Let’s get on the ball, huh? ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/19 "2005-11-21T07:40:24Z")
Frankly, this whole thread could have been avoided if the OP had known his Chaucer better. **The Grocer’s Tale** \*"It’s my terne in this tale medieval I hold a story up my sleevel So all pleas hede this ogre sing of stupid folke and Krogering. "Sheepe lyke plastick, lemmings paper Or be preference merely vapor Do shoppers really know the score Or parrot what juste cayme before? “Wot thee this pray tell me now Ere I get mad and starte a row Throwing tantrums in the Pyt 'Bout Nazis, Doctors, Ghosts and Shyt.” “Calm downe, thou loon,” advised the Reeve You act as though ye do believe Their choyce of sack bespekes some truth In thy inebriated youth. “It doesn’t matter now or then For classifying other men’s A game for adolescent snobs With too much free time in their jobs!” And though the lad fain would deny it, He soon subsided, and was quiet.\* –Or, in the modern translation, "If you knew Chaucer like I know Chaucer, Oh! Oh! Oh, what a guy! His verse was deelish He wrote in Middle English And he got famous Even though he didn’t finish "We went shopping Geoff wouldn’t carry, 'Cause there ain’t no plastic bags in Canterbury If you knew Chaucer like I know Chaucer, Oh! Oh! Oh, what a bard! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908/20 "2005-11-21T13:45:20Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > "If you knew Chaucer > like I know Chaucer, > Oh! Oh! Oh, what a guy! > His verse was deelish > He wrote in Middle English > And he got famous > Even though he didn’t finish > > "We went shopping > Geoff wouldn’t carry, > 'Cause there ain’t no > plastic bags in Canterbury > If you knew Chaucer > like I know Chaucer, > Oh! Oh! Oh, what a bard! Known to certain East Coast scholars as _The Cantor’s Tale._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychological-term-for-following-others/331908.md?page=2)