Two people discussing perceptual decisions can outperform the better individual, via weighted confidence sharing¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2012 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In a visual odd-ball detection task, joint decisions after free discussion were significantly better than decisions of the better partner alone. → Frith Chris D 2012

Evidence¶

Frith Chris D 2012¶

Frith Chris D. (2012). The role of metacognition in human social interactions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0123

q2 · i? · review · r2

A psychophysical experiment (Bahrami et al., as reviewed here) in which pairs judged which interval contained an odd-ball Gabor patch, discussed disagreements, and made joint decisions. The review reports a significant group advantage in psychometric slope over the better partner.

"In terms of the slope of the psychometric function, the group decisions were significantly better than decisions of the better of the two partners (group advantage)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• People automatically represent the goals of a co-actor, impairing individual task performance — related
• Sharing perceptual experiences through discussion improves individual performance beyond mere task practice — related
• Pairs rapidly develop shared verbal confidence scales, and faster development predicts greater group advantage — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The group advantage reverses when partners' abilities differ greatly, and depends on the mode of communication — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Communication and coordination costs of transactive activities can annul the benefit of sharing cognitive load in a group — related