Perceived unity makes a group processed like an individual

Evidence

Hamilton and Sherman (1996) then noted that there obviously is variation within each of these types—among individuals and among groups—in the extent to which they are perceived as having unity and coherence. Some individuals are perceived as having well-integrated personalities, while others are seen as more scattered, less well organized; similarly, some groups are seen as being highly organized and tightly knit, whereas others are perceived as having less unity. This variation among groups, they noted, corresponds to what Campbell (1958) referred to as entitativity (and in fact, Campbell had specifically stated that groups vary in the extent to which they possess this property). Hamilton and Sherman proposed that, for groups that are perceived as being high in entitativity, the same assumptions would be made as are held about an individual target (organization, consistency, inferred dispositions, and resolution of inconsistencies). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 213 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Group members who are closely tied to each other or to the group identity are generally perceived to behave in a more coherent manner and are subject to person-like information processing compared to the perception of a loose collection of people. The lay intuition that a social group may act as a distinct social agent has been conceptualized by the term “entitativity,” which was originally coined by Campbell (1958). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 141 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Groups first form against an external threat, then transfer their unity onto an object — Fredric Jameson, Marxism and Form, 506; Perceived group unity arises from proximity, similarity, and interdependence cues — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1377; Perceived cohesion within a group triggers person-like processing of its members. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 141 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Groups perceived as unified are processed like single persons #corroborates (0.98)
• Groups high in entitativity are processed like individual persons #corroborates (0.97) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 213
• Perceived cohesion within a group triggers person-like processing of its members. #corroborates (0.95) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 141
• Crowds arouse sub-individual instincts while organized groups transcend individuals #complicates (0.74) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 345