At a recent college football game, the fans in the stands did the stadium wave. That is, successive groups of spectators briefly stood and raised their arms, then immediately returned to the usual seated position. This social interaction, in which a group of people engaged in a behavior that is not in their normal routine, is an example of:

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The stadium wave is an example of collective behavior, which refers to actions taken by a group of people in situations that are unstructured, spontaneous, and not governed by the formal rules that typically guide social interactions. Unlike hysteria, riots, or urban legends, collective behavior is a broad term that encompasses any spontaneous social process that can occur when people in a group act together without prearranged directions.

At a Recent College Football Game, the Fans in the Stands