Four studies examined the hypothesis that group members whose opinions differ from the average member’s opinion in the direction of the group prototype (“descriptive deviants”) are more vocal than those whose opinions differ in the opposite direction (“prescriptive deviants”). Study 1 found that descriptive deviants were more willing to express their opinions than prescriptive deviants, and that this effect was partially mediated by perceived commonness of one’s opinion. Studies 2 through 4 provided experimental evidence that the relationship between deviance direction and comfort was driven by perceptions of consensus. When participants were led to believe that most other group members held a prescriptive (as opposed to descriptive) deviant position, the relationship between deviance direction and opinion expression was attenuated (Studies 2 and 3), especially among those who identified strongly with their ingroup (Study 4). Implications of these findings for group dynamics, pluralistic ignorance, and social norms are discussed.
