The document discusses alternatives to the traditional "Devil's Advocate" approach of critically evaluating one's own proposals. It notes that research has found the Devil's Advocate approach is ineffective because presenters believe they cannot convince someone who has been instructed to criticize. As an alternative, it proposes the Multiple Anonymous Authentic Dissent (MAAD) approach, where group members independently and anonymously identify defects in a proposal, which are then compiled and used to improve the proposal. The document encourages applying MAAD to one's own group work within the next week.

1. Using your group to evaluate your own proposals
Devil’s advocate and an
alternative: MAAD
Prepared by J. Scott Armstrong (details on him at jscottarmstrong.com).
Please inform Scott about errors and also make suggestions (armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu)
Scott has taken these slides from adprin.com, a site that he founded. That site contains interactive versions of these
slides, along with linked references, videos, and webcasts, all in PPT and PPTX format that you can download.

2. Have you used the Devil’s Advocate approach?
If yes, please define it.
In 1587, the Roman Catholic Pope
instituted the DA to evaluate if
someone should be canonized.
A group arbitrarily selects a member
to find is wrong with their own
proposal. When meeting face-to-
face, the DA session should be short –
perhaps 15 minutes.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 2

3. What do you see as the possible defects in
the Devil’s Advocate?
Write your ideas.
Then go to the next slide for the evidence-based findings.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 3

4. Presenters believe there is no hope of convincing someone
who has been instructed to be negative (the DA).
Thus, they reinforce their current campaign instead of
using the criticisms for change. The DA becomes
unpopular.
To learn more, see AdPrin.com

5. Evidence on the value of DA
A review by Nemeth and Nemeth-Brown (2003) found little
support for Devil’s Advocate.
Why? Presenters believe
• There is no hope of convincing someone who has been
instructed to be negative (the DA).
• Thus, they reinforce their current campaign instead of
using the criticisms for change.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 5

6. Alternatives to the Devil’s Advocate
authentic dissent - When people are arguing for what they
believe.
The group realizes that an authentic dissenter might
change, whereas there is no hope for this with the DA.
The role does not protect the people playing as Devil’s
Advocates – they became unpopular.
Authentic dissenters also unpopular, but people respect
them for their courage.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 6

7. Authentic dissent
Those with authentic beliefs do a better job in arguing
their positions than do those who are merely assigned to
the role.
Authentic dissenters have been found (in experiments) to get
people to focus more on opposing thoughts than supporting
ones - thus more change.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 7

8. Multiple Anonymous Authentic Dissent (MAAD)
• Multiple Anonymous Authentic Dissent
(MAAD) involves asking experts
(e.g., project group members) to act as
dissenters.
• Each person independently describes all
perceived defects in a proposal. They send
them to an assembler who distributes a
report.
• Each person assumes that each objection
has merit, and develops ways to improve
the proposals.
• The suggested improvements are
summarized and appropriate revisions are
made in the advertising proposal.
• For more information see Persuasive
Advertising p 287-9.
Adapted from AdPrin.com 8

9. Based on this exercise, write a small application step for yourself,
and set a deadline, preferably within one week. If you are
working with someone else, share your application plan and the
results of your application.
• For example, on your next group task, request the group
members to try MAAD.
Adapted from AdPrin.com