Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts · chapter 5 · id thinking-in-bets-c5-04-assigned-devils-advocate-is-le
“Assigned devil's advocate is less effective than authentic dissent. Nemeth's 2001 research found that role-played dissent primarily triggered cognitive bolstering of the initial position rather than genuine divergent thinking.”
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Nemeth, Brown & Rogers (2001), 'Devil's advocate versus authentic dissent: Stimulating quantity and quality,' European Journal of Social Psychologypaywalled · manual check queued
Role-played dissent fostered thinking primarily aimed at cognitive bolstering of the initial viewpoint. Authentic dissent was superior in stimulating original thoughts, considering the opposite position, and direct attitude change.
Behavioral Scientist, 'Stop Playing Devil's Advocate, and Other Advice for Better Decision Making'source alive
The devil's advocate technique does not stimulate divergent thinking or the quality of decisions and solutions as does authentic dissent.
Nemeth & Goncalo (2004), 'Influence and Persuasion in Small Groups,' IRLE Working Paper, UC Berkeleysource alive
Persistence in a dissenting position creates the perception of strong commitment and courage. Role-playing lessens the risk and the positive attributions of conviction.
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