Social perception bias is an interesting phenomenon whereby we assume that other people think pretty much as we do.  A recent study from the University of North Carolina explores just how frequently this plays out within our social networks across a range of contexts.

The authors counter the predisposed view that social perception bias tends to occur as a result of things like social projection or even wishful thinking, and instead argue that the structure of our social networks is the culprit.

“There’s a fundamental question about how people perceive their environment in an unequal society,” they argue. “[These perception biases] show up [in a devastating way] around contentious issues like gun control and abortion, race, and the distribution of wealth.”

The analysis began life in South Korea, where the authors observed homophily at work, as people would only really interact with those who had a similar opinion about the presidential impeachment that was unfolding.  This led to a network model being co-opted to map a society consisting of majority and minority groups.

Network theory

The theory was that the two groups would be divided by various non-binary characteristics, whether that being their gender, their political persuasion or even whether they smoked or not.  The researchers hypothesized that the position of an individual in their network would enable them to predict the perception biases that would emerge.  This was largely due to two key properties of the network: the relative size of the majority and minority groups, and the level of homophily in the network.

The model was then put to the test by surveying several hundred participants to explore how people behave, and the impact of their social network on their perceptions.  The team found that perception biases most often emerged when there was a clear discrepancy in size between the majority and minority groups, and when individual nodes within each network were highly connected.

In such scenarios, it’s very easy for individuals to overestimate the strength of their own group and underestimate the others.  It’s a phenomenon the team believe can only be effectively countered by more interaction with people from different groups to effectively broaden your social network.

“Whatever group you are in, it certainly helps to be more aware of the outer environment,” they conclude. “In a global, interconnected world we all depend on each other and all changes will eventually come to us.”