Sometimes the focal point itself is inherently unstable. In that case it serves not as an outcome but as a sign of where to look for the outcome. This is often true of a “test vote” in a legislative body or a “test issue” that arises in the relations between the players in some continuing game. Often it is a challenge or a dare or an act of defiance that, by its nature, must either elicit a submissive response from the other party or be submissively withdrawn. It is a small piece of the game that comes to symbolize the game itself, setting a pattern of expectations that extends beyond the substance of the point involved.

XREF: Relates to signaling theory and game-theoretic concepts of focal points from Schelling's work on conflict and coordination.

Thomas C. Schelling, The Strategy of Conflict, loc. 268