# Groupthink

## Definition
A psychological phenomenon in which a group of individuals prioritizes consensus and harmony over critical evaluation of alternatives, leading to poor decision-making. In multi-agent systems, it occurs when agents influence each other rather than making independent judgments.

## Risk in Multi-Agent Consensus
- If agents have feedback loops between them
- Earlier agents' conclusions influence later agents
- The group converges on the first plausible answer rather than truth
- Results become correlated, defeating the purpose of voting

## Prevention
- Agents must run like a **blind experiment** — no communication between them
- Same input provided independently to each agent
- No knowledge of what other agents concluded
- Results aggregated only after all agents have responded

## The "Blind Experiment" Principle
- Agents should not know they're part of a consensus
- Each agent should independently evaluate the same input
- Only the aggregator knows the full set of responses
- This maximizes diversity and minimizes correlation

## Related Concepts
- [[Bandwagon Effect]]
- [[Multi-Agent Consensus]]
- [[Sycophancy]]