In group decision-making, discussing from an overarching perspective is often difficult. Imagining oneself from a third-person perspective during group discussions may significantly change how people communicate and make decisions together. In this context, researchers investigated the effect of third-person perspective and first-person perspective in a virtual environment on group decision-making. They found that participants using a third-person perspective in virtual reality showed better consensus, improved understanding of others’ opinions, and reduced conflict.

Researchers at the University of Osaka found that direct survey questions may overstate negative attitudes toward the news media in Japan. In two web-based randomized experiments, 45.1% of respondents agreed that “the mass media are harmful to society” when asked directly, compared with an indirect estimate of 29.7% from a list experiment. The findings suggest that, where media criticism is easy to express, direct questions may inflate anti-media sentiment.