Science and Human Behavior, Chapter 19: Social Behavior, Quote 2

“Although many . . . interlocking social systems are stable, others show a progressive change. A trivial example is the behavior of a group of people who enter an unfamiliar room containing a sign which reads, “Silence, please.” . . . After a moment two members least under the control of the sign begin to whisper. This slightly alters the situation for other members so that they also begin to whisper . . . Eventually the conversation may be quite noisy. This is a simple “auto-catalytic” process arising from a repeated interchange between the members of the group.” (pp. 308-309)

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