American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience

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Influence of External Opinions on an Individual Choice in Conditions of Uncertainty: Experiment and Laser-like Model

Received: Dec. 09, 2019    Accepted: Jan. 15, 2020    Published: Feb. 04, 2020
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Abstract

A psychological experiment for quantitative evaluation of degree of external opinions influencing the choice of a participant in conditions of uncertainty was suggested. A computer-driven experiment was performed, with 256 participants. In the experiment participating volunteers were shown a series of images accompanied by two not-evident alternative answers for a question “what is this?”, and were prompted to make their choice under different condition. These conditions were: (i) a free individual choice (control group); (ii) a choice when each participant sees the results of real answers of other subjects of his experimental group (“true” group); (iii) a choice when the participants see false response promptings generated by a special computer program (“false” groups). Quantitative results were obtained showing an influence of “psychological pressure” to a frequency of occurrence of alternative answers. A laser-like model is presented for energy levels in a brain and for decision making in such conditions. The laser-like model is based on a usual system of kinetic equations describing dependence of population of excited and ground levels (before and after the answer, respectively), and the number of different answers (zero known answers for control group, number of real or manipulated answers for "true" and "false" groups). By fitting parameters of the model to results of the experiment, numerical values of parameters of the model (“coefficients of stimulating influence” analogues to Einstein coefficients Bik for stimulated emission of radiation) were determined.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13
Published in American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience ( Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2020 )
Page(s) 12-17
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Peer Group Pressure, Freedom of Choice, Manipulated Information, Laser-like Model

References
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[2] J. Busemeyer, E. Pothos, R. Franco, and J. Trueblood. (2011). A quantum theoretical explanation for probability judgment “errors”. Psychol. Rev. 2: 193–218.
[3] F. Beck, J. Eccles. (2002.) Quantum aspects of brain activity and the role of consciousness. Proc Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. 23: 11357–61.
[4] A. Wendt. (2015). Quantum Mind and Social Science: Unifying Physical and Social Ontology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[5] E. Haven, A. Khrennikov. Quantum Social Science. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2013. p. 1-306.
[6] A. Zheltikov. (2018). The critique of quantum mind: measurement, consciousness, delayed choice, and lost coherence”, UFN, 188: 10, 1119–1128; Phys. Usp., 61: 10 (2018), 1016–1025.
[7] N. Solovyev. (2019). Quantum neurophilosophy and the rehabilitation of the Cartesian model of consciousness. I. P. Pavlov Journ. of Higher Nervous Activity (Cited in PubMed as Zh. Vyss. Nerv. Deiat. I P Pavlova). St. Petersburg. 1: 120–29 (in Russian).
[8] O. Danilov, N. Rosanov, N. Solovyev, and L. Soms, (2016). Multimode lasers as analogs of complex biological systems (a survey). Opt. and Spectroscopy. 4: 646-53.
[9] A. Khrennikov, (2015). “Social Laser”: Action amplification by stimulated emission of social Energy. arXiv: 1512.05386v1 [physics. soc-ph].
[10] Yu. Sidorenko. Methods of mathematical treatment in psychology. – St. Petersburg: Rech'; 2002. 1–350 (in Russian).
[11] S. Asch, (1956). Studies of independence and conformity. A minority of one against a unanimous majority. Psychol. Monographs. 9: 1–70.
[12] R. Crutchfield. (1955). Conformity and Character. American Psychologist, 10, 191-198. doi: 10.1037/h0040237.
[13] N. Hertz, E. Wiese. (2018). Under Pressure: Examining Social Conformity With Computer and Robot Groups. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 60 (8): 1207-1218. doi: 10.1177/0018720818788473.
[14] C. Kyrlitsias, M.‐Grigoriou. (2018). Asch conformity experiment using immersive virtual reality. Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds. 29 (5); e1804. doi:. 10.1002/cav.1804.
[15] O. Svelto. Principles of Lasers. New York: Springer US; 2010. p. 255-63.
[16] A.. Sergeev A., «Social laser» and orange revolutions: an interview with President of RAS. http://лазер.рф/2019/01/11/10816/ (in Russian).
[17] D. Gorbatov, N. Solovyev, and L. Soms, "Social induction and a problem of choice in conditions of uncertainty", in: Neural Networks and Neurotechnologies. Yu. Shelepin, E. Ogorodnikova, N. Solovyev, E. Yakimova, Eds., St. Petersburg: Published by VVM, 2019, p. 116-128.
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    Nikita Solovyev, Dmitrii Gorbatov, Leonid Soms. (2020). Influence of External Opinions on an Individual Choice in Conditions of Uncertainty: Experiment and Laser-like Model. American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 8(1), 12-17. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13

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    ACS Style

    Nikita Solovyev; Dmitrii Gorbatov; Leonid Soms. Influence of External Opinions on an Individual Choice in Conditions of Uncertainty: Experiment and Laser-like Model. Am. J. Psychiatry Neurosci. 2020, 8(1), 12-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13

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    AMA Style

    Nikita Solovyev, Dmitrii Gorbatov, Leonid Soms. Influence of External Opinions on an Individual Choice in Conditions of Uncertainty: Experiment and Laser-like Model. Am J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2020;8(1):12-17. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13,
      author = {Nikita Solovyev and Dmitrii Gorbatov and Leonid Soms},
      title = {Influence of External Opinions on an Individual Choice in Conditions of Uncertainty: Experiment and Laser-like Model},
      journal = {American Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience},
      volume = {8},
      number = {1},
      pages = {12-17},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpn.20200801.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpn.20200801.13},
      abstract = {A psychological experiment for quantitative evaluation of degree of external opinions influencing the choice of a participant in conditions of uncertainty was suggested. A computer-driven experiment was performed, with 256 participants. In the experiment participating volunteers were shown a series of images accompanied by two not-evident alternative answers for a question “what is this?”, and were prompted to make their choice under different condition. These conditions were: (i) a free individual choice (control group); (ii) a choice when each participant sees the results of real answers of other subjects of his experimental group (“true” group); (iii) a choice when the participants see false response promptings generated by a special computer program (“false” groups). Quantitative results were obtained showing an influence of “psychological pressure” to a frequency of occurrence of alternative answers. A laser-like model is presented for energy levels in a brain and for decision making in such conditions. The laser-like model is based on a usual system of kinetic equations describing dependence of population of excited and ground levels (before and after the answer, respectively), and the number of different answers (zero known answers for control group, number of real or manipulated answers for "true" and "false" groups). By fitting parameters of the model to results of the experiment, numerical values of parameters of the model (“coefficients of stimulating influence” analogues to Einstein coefficients Bik for stimulated emission of radiation) were determined.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    AU  - Nikita Solovyev
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    AB  - A psychological experiment for quantitative evaluation of degree of external opinions influencing the choice of a participant in conditions of uncertainty was suggested. A computer-driven experiment was performed, with 256 participants. In the experiment participating volunteers were shown a series of images accompanied by two not-evident alternative answers for a question “what is this?”, and were prompted to make their choice under different condition. These conditions were: (i) a free individual choice (control group); (ii) a choice when each participant sees the results of real answers of other subjects of his experimental group (“true” group); (iii) a choice when the participants see false response promptings generated by a special computer program (“false” groups). Quantitative results were obtained showing an influence of “psychological pressure” to a frequency of occurrence of alternative answers. A laser-like model is presented for energy levels in a brain and for decision making in such conditions. The laser-like model is based on a usual system of kinetic equations describing dependence of population of excited and ground levels (before and after the answer, respectively), and the number of different answers (zero known answers for control group, number of real or manipulated answers for "true" and "false" groups). By fitting parameters of the model to results of the experiment, numerical values of parameters of the model (“coefficients of stimulating influence” analogues to Einstein coefficients Bik for stimulated emission of radiation) were determined.
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Author Information
  • Faculty of Applied Psychology, St. Petersburg State Institute of Psychology and Social Work, St. Petersburg, Russia

  • Department of Management of Mass Communications, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia

  • Centre of Scientific and Educational Publications and Conferences, University ITMO, St. Petersburg, Russia

  • Section