Interaction size and dissent tolerance in majority-rule dynamics with collective reversal

Abstract

We introduce a majority-rule model in which collective reversal can be activated in highly aligned groups even when a limited number of members dissent. The dissent tolerance $d$ extends the strict-unanimity dynamics by making near-unanimous group compositions eligible for reversal. Mean-field analysis and simulations reveal that this change qualitatively alters the phase structure. Under strict unanimity, a physically accessible transition exists only for $n=3$ and $n=4$. Allowing dissent restores transitions at larger interaction sizes, replacing the fixed interaction-size threshold with an accessibility boundary in the $(n,d)$ plane. When the activation window is sufficiently broad, directional asymmetry can eliminate one of the two ordered attractors through a saddle-node bifurcation, producing a single stable collective state. In the one-sided case, increasing the dissent tolerance can shorten the transient approach to consensus but leaves its leading logarithmic dependence on population size unchanged. Activation selectivity acts as an independent control parameter for collective ordering, bistability, and consensus dynamics.

21 pages, 6 figures