one ▁acts , ▁on look ers ▁may ▁believe ▁others ▁believe ▁action ▁is ▁incorrect , ▁and ▁may ▁therefore ▁themselves ▁ref rain ▁from ▁acting . ▁ ▁Research ▁Pr ent ice ▁and ▁Miller ▁found ▁that , ▁on ▁average , ▁private ▁levels ▁of ▁comfort ▁with ▁drink ing ▁practices ▁on ▁campus ▁were ▁much ▁lower ▁than ▁the ▁perce ived ▁average . ▁In ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁men , ▁they ▁found ▁a ▁sh ifting ▁of ▁private ▁att itudes ▁toward ▁this ▁perce ived ▁norm , ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁cogn itive ▁dis son ance . ▁Women , ▁on ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁were ▁found ▁to ▁have ▁an ▁increased ▁sense ▁of ▁al ien ation ▁on ▁the ▁campus ▁but ▁lack ed ▁the ▁attitude ▁change ▁detected ▁in ▁men , ▁pres umably ▁because ▁norm s ▁related ▁to ▁alco hol ▁consumption ▁on ▁campus ▁are ▁much ▁more ▁central ▁for ▁men ▁than ▁for ▁women . ▁Research ▁has ▁shown ▁that ▁pl ural istic ▁ignor ance ▁pl agues ▁not ▁only ▁those ▁who ▁indul ge , ▁but ▁also ▁those ▁who ▁ab st ain : ▁from ▁g amb ling , ▁sm oking ▁and ▁drink ing ▁and ▁among ▁some ▁who ▁follow ▁veget arian ism . ▁The ▁latter ▁has ▁found ▁that ▁pl ural istic ▁ignor ance ▁can ▁be ▁caused ▁by ▁the ▁structure ▁of ▁the ▁underlying ▁social ▁network , ▁not ▁cogn itive ▁dis son ance . ▁ ▁The ▁theory ▁of ▁pl ural istic ▁ignor ance ▁was ▁studied ▁by ▁F loyd ▁Henry ▁All port ▁and ▁his ▁students ▁Daniel ▁K atz ▁and ▁Richard ▁Sch an ck . ▁He ▁produced ▁studies ▁of ▁ra cial ▁s tere ot yp ing ▁and