What is group influence on thinking?

Group influence on thinking is a concept in personal epistemology: Who you are with when you process information influences what you conclude.

Example: You read a research paper alone and find serious methodological flaws. You bring it up in a team meeting where three respected colleagues praise the paper. You feel the flaws shrinking in your mind — not because anyone addressed them, but because the social context shifted. The same evidence, processed in a different social environment, produced a different conclusion. If you don't notice that shift happening, you'll leave the meeting thinking you changed your mind. You didn't. The room changed it for you.

This concept is part of Phase 9 (Context Sensitivity) in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for context sensitivity.