https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191127161239.htm

Now, new University of Washington research has discovered that in large groups of essentially anonymous members, people make choices based on a model of the "mind of the group" and an evolving simulation of how a choice will affect that theorized mind.

Using a mathematical framework with roots in artificial intelligence and robotics, UW researchers were able to uncover the process for how a person makes choices in groups. And, they also found they were able to predict a person's choice more often than more traditional descriptive methods. The results were published Wednesday, Nov. 27, in Science Advances.