Effects of conflict management strategies on perceptions of intragroup conflict.

Although conflict over ideas is thought to be beneficial to task performing groups, research documents a strong interrelation between idea-based task conflict and emotionally laden relationship conflict. The current study posits the manner in which task conflicts are managed influences subsequent relationship conflict. Two hundred seventy participants formed dyads to discuss a task issue. The conflict management strategy of one member was manipulated to examine the resulting level of relationship conflict perceived by the partner. The level of relationship conflict after the meeting was significantly impacted by the management style used during the meeting: competing produced the most, and collaborating the least, relationship conflict. Findings suggest competing to resolve task-based differences may be particularly harmful by generating relationship conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Denying History: Comment.

Comments on an article by Eidelson and Eidelson (see record 2003-03645-004) which made an important contribution, at a critical juncture, to the discussion of international conflicts by identifying core dimensions that allow for the systematic examination of the problem. Their article also posed a danger that mirrors a disturbing trend in the public discourse about conflicts and injustice. In response to the recent escalation of international violence and years of mixed results of engagement in debates centered around grievances of injustice (such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict), many politicians, pundits, and scholars have advocated addressing conflicts by separating them from the underlying grievances and the ongoing injustice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of a feedback intervention on group process and outcome.

The effects of a feedback intervention directed at both members and leaders was examined in psychotherapy groups held in a university counseling center. Feedback consisted of group climate information using scores from the Group Climate Questionnaire, completed by members after each group session. The direct effects of the feedback intervention were assessed using scores on the Curative Climate Instrument as well as Group Climate Questionnaire subscales. These instruments were administered after each group session. Distal effects of the feedback intervention were examined using member symptom improvement (Outcome Questionnaire) and group attendance. Members and leaders in the experimental condition were given weekly written and graphical feedback and contrasted against comparable groups receiving no feedback. Results indicate the feedback intervention had little impact on the therapeutic factors and outcome. However, for members who reported that the group was high in conflict, the feedback intervention had a significant negative effect on outcome. Implications and directions for future research are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

They Both Matter: Reality and Belief: Reply.

Responds to the comment by Kamyar Arasteh (see record 2004-14611-007) on the Eidelson and Eidelson article (see record 2003-03645-004) which made an important contribution, at a critical juncture, to the discussion of international conflicts by identifying core dimensions that allow for the systematic examination of the problem. The authors appreciate Arasteh's thought-provoking comments about their article and they are grateful for the opportunity to respond. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How people explain actions performed by groups and individuals.

The authors explore whether people explain intentional actions performed by groups differently from actions performed by individuals. A theoretical framework is offered that distinguishes between 2 modes of explanation: the agent's reasons (beliefs or desires in light of which the agent decided to act) and causal histories of reasons (CHRs; factors that preceded and brought about the agent's reasons). The authors develop the hypothesis that people use more CHR explanations when explaining group actions than when explaining individual actions. Study 1 demonstrates this asymmetry. Studies 2 and 3 explore 2 necessary conditions for the asymmetry: that the group be perceived as an aggregate of individual actors rather than as a jointly acting group and that explainers have general information available about the group. Discussion focuses on people's perception of groups as entities and agents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The continuity of abnormal and normal behavior.

"Pearson and Kley (see 33: 1700) criticize the writer for basing his belief in the continuity of normal and abnormal states on the invalid consideration that test scores tended to be continuous between the groups. In answer, the writer has pointed out that he himself had discussed the lack of validity of this procedure in detail and had advocated a different method, namely, that of criterion analysis, specifically designed by him to deal with problems of this kind." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A model of emergence and dysfunctional effects of emotional conflict in groups.

The current study tested a model of group effectiveness in which emotional conflict, negative affective tone in groups, and group mean agreeableness were proposed as key antecedent variables. Data collected from 84 project groups supported the proposition that group-level agreeableness was significantly related with emotional conflict, and that emotional conflict indirectly affects group outcomes through group-level negative affective tone and contextual-discretionary behaviors, as opposed to task-related behaviors. Findings are discussed in terms of how group members' personality foster emotional conflict in groups and the implications of these findings for group effectiveness research as well as the management of project groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual versus group goal conflict.

"An experiment was performed in which a conflict was produced between individual and group goal attainment. An overt situation was compared to a covert situation, and a high individualistic… with a low individualistic motivation condition… . [The] finding that individuals… feel freer to change secret… than public decisions is discussed." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Collective efficacy, group potency, and group performance: Meta-analyses of their relationships, and test of a mediation model.

The authors examined relationships among collective efficacy, group potency, and group performance. Meta-analytic results (based on 6,128 groups, 31,019 individuals, 118 correlations adjusted for dependence, and 96 studies) reveal that collective efficacy was significantly related to group performance (.35). In the proposed nested 2-level model, collective efficacy assessment (aggregation and group discussion) was tested as the 1st-level moderator. It showed significantly different average correlations with group performance (.32 vs. .45), but the group discussion assessment was homogeneous, whereas the aggregation assessment was heterogeneous. Consequently, there was no 2nd-level moderation for the group discussion, and heterogeneity in the aggregation group was accounted for by the 2nd-level moderator, task interdependence (high, moderate, and low levels were significant; the higher the level, the stronger the relationship). The 2nd and 3rd meta-analyses indicated that group potency was related to group performance (.29) and to collective efficacy (.65). When tested in a structural equation modeling analysis based on meta-analytic findings, collective efficacy fully mediated the relationship between group potency and group performance. The authors suggest future research and convert their findings to a probability of success index to help facilitate practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Four techniques of group decision making under uncertainty.

4 techniques of group decision-making—authoritarian, leader suggestion, census, and chairman—under risk and uncertainty were compared using a survival situation with 45 aircrews. "1. In a conflict situation, when a group discussion method… is involved, the members' reactions to the alternatives are relatively undifferentiated in contrast to the condition in which the leader alone makes the decision… . 2… . the groups appear to be least favorably disposed toward the authoritarian technique of decision-making… . 3. When the decision-making procedure is group centered the group reaches a decision involving greater personal risk to the members." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group psychotherapy specialty practice.

Group psychotherapy (mental health treatment-focused interventions based in social psychological research on group dynamics) is a growing specialization within psychology, not yet fully recognized by the public and the professional community. This article aims to inform the reader about the multiple components of training, practice, and research. Many graduate programs are teaching fewer group courses than ever before despite the fact that groups are being utilized increasingly in many settings. As defined, group specialty practice covers small, medium, and large groups led by expert leaders or coleaders specifically trained in group intervention skills, which are based on a rich history. Group typologies range from prevention and education to growth, counseling, or psychotherapy (although some controversy exists regarding definitions). Still, a consensus exists that it has more to do with who the members are and in what settings groups occur. Group practice is well-established given the extant evidence-based research, the depth and breadth of its utilization, and professional organizations--such as the Council of Specialties and the American Board of Professional Psychology--that officially recognize group practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Harvesting implicit group attitudes and beliefs from a demonstration web site.

Respondents at an Internet site completed over 600,000 tasks between October 1998 and April 2000 measuring attitudes toward and stereotypes of social groups. Their responses demonstrated, on average, implicit preference for White over Black and young over old and stereotypic: associations linking male terms with science and career and female terms with liberal arts and family. The main purpose was to provide a demonstration site at which respondents could experience their implicit attitudes and stereotypes toward social groups. Nevertheless, the data collected are rich in information regarding the operation of attitudes and stereotypes, most notably the strength of implicit attitudes, the association and dissociation between implicit and explicit attitudes, and the effects of group membership on attitudes and stereotypes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The critical role of conflict resolution in teams: A close look at the links between conflict type, conflict management strategies, and team outcomes.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 93(2) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2008-02855-019). Figure 2 on p. 184 (Theoretical Contributions section) is missing information about the numbers of teams and statements for the two groups using particularlistic strategies. For the decreasing and consistently low performance/decreasing and consistently low satisfaction group, there were 14 teams and 40 statements; for the decreasing and consistently low performance/increasing and consistently high satisfaction group, there were 11 teams and 46 statements.] This article explores the linkages between strategies for managing different types of conflict and group performance and satisfaction. Results from a qualitative study of 57 autonomous teams suggest that groups that improve or maintain top performance over time share 3 conflict resolution tendencies: (a) focusing on the content of interpersonal interactions rather than delivery style, (b) explicitly discussing reasons behind any decisions reached in accepting and distributing work assignments, and (c) assigning work to members who have the relevant task expertise rather than assigning by other common means such as volunteering, default, or convenience. The authors' results also suggest that teams that are successful over time are likely to be both proactive in anticipating the need for conflict resolution and pluralistic in developing conflict resolution strategies that apply to all group members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The critical role of conflict resolution in teams: A close look at the links between conflict type, conflict management strategies, and team outcomes": Correction.

Reports an error in "The critical role of conflict resolution in teams: A close look at the links between conflict type, conflict management strategies, and team outcomes" by Kristin J. Behfar, Randall S. Peterson, Elizabeth A. Mannix and William M. K. Trochim (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2008[Jan], Vol 93[1], 170-188). Figure 2 on p. 184 (Theoretical Contributions section) is missing information about the numbers of teams and statements for the two groups using particularlistic strategies. For the decreasing and consistently low performance/decreasing and consistently low satisfaction group, there were 14 teams and 40 statements; for the decreasing and consistently low performance/increasing and consistently high satisfaction group, there were 11 teams and 46 statements. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-00266-012.) This article explores the linkages between strategies for managing different types of conflict and group performance and satisfaction. Results from a qualitative study of 57 autonomous teams suggest that groups that improve or maintain top performance over time share 3 conflict resolution tendencies: (a) focusing on the content of interpersonal interactions rather than delivery style, (b) explicitly discussing reasons behind any decisions reached in accepting and distributing work assignments, and (c) assigning work to members who have the relevant task expertise rather than assigning by other common means such as volunteering, default, or convenience. The authors' results also suggest that teams that are successful over time are likely to be both proactive in anticipating the need for conflict resolution and pluralistic in developing conflict resolution strategies that apply to all group members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication restraints, group flexibility, and group confidence.

"This study was designed to explore the relationship between selected group structure variables and the group's ability to adjust to the requirements of a new situation (group flexibility) and the group members' expressed confidence in the ability of the group to succeed in a problem-solving situation." About 1000 men in 96 aircrews did a group task (8-item intelligence exam). Leaders in flexible groups scored low on the F scale and high on conformity. Greater confidence was expressed by members of high attraction groups and groups whose leaders tended to conform to the group members' opinions. "… groups with more open communication systems (group with fewer communication restraints) are more flexible and more confident." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When perspective taking increases taking: Reactive egoism in social interaction.

Group members often reason egocentrically, believing that they deserve more than their fair share of group resources. Leading people to consider other members' thoughts and perspectives can reduce these egocentric (self-centered) judgments such that people claim that it is fair for them to take less; however, the consideration of others' thoughts and perspectives actually increases egoistic (selfish) behavior such that people actually take more of available resources. A series of experiments demonstrates this pattern in competitive contexts in which considering others' perspectives activates egoistic theories of their likely behavior, leading people to counter by behaving more egoistically themselves. This reactive egoism is attenuated in cooperative contexts. Discussion focuses on the implications of reactive egoism in social interaction and on strategies for alleviating its potentially deleterious effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conformity to groups as a function of group success.

"Three person groups were given different degrees of success and failure in a collaborative group task. Following this, individuals twice judged the number of flickers of a light, receiving a purported average judgment prior to the second estimate." Persons in groups given all successes showed significantly more movement of the second judgment in the direction of the purported group average than did members of all failure groups or persons having no group experience. Persons in groups having partial success were intermediate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Groups perform better than the best individuals on letters-to-numbers problems: Effects of group size.

Individuals and groups of 2, 3, 4, or 5 people solved 2 letters-to-numbers problems that required participants, on each trial, to identify the coding of 10 letters to 10 numbers by proposing an equation in letters, receiving the answer in letters, proposing a hypothesis, and receiving feedback on the correctness of the hypothesis. Groups of 3, 4, and 5 people proposed more complex equations and had fewer trials to solution than the best of an equivalent number of individuals. Groups of 3, 4, and 5 people had fewer trials to solution than 2-person groups but did not differ from each other. These results suggest that 3-person groups are necessary and sufficient to perform better than the best individuals on highly intellective problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent, family, and child characteristics: Associations with mother- and father-reported emotion socialization practices.

The present research examined parental beliefs about children’s negative emotions, parent-reported marital conflict/ambivalence, and child negative emotionality and gender as predictors of mothers’ and fathers’ reported reactions to their kindergarten children’s negative emotions and self-expressiveness in the family (N = 55, two-parent families). Models predicting parents’ nonsupportive reactions and negative expressiveness were significant. For both mothers and fathers, more accepting beliefs about children’s negative emotions were associated with fewer nonsupportive reactions, and greater marital conflict/ambivalence was associated with more negative expressiveness. Furthermore, interactions between child negative emotionality and parental resources (e.g., marital conflict/ambivalence; accepting beliefs) emerged for fathers’ nonsupportive reactions and mothers’ negative expressiveness. In some instances, child gender acted as a moderator such that associations between parental beliefs about emotions and the emotion socialization outcomes emerged when child and parent gender were concordant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic Group Identification and Group Evaluation Among Minority and Majority Groups: Testing the Multiculturalism Hypothesis.

Following social identity theory, the author hypothesized that members of minority groups are more likely than majority group members to endorse multiculturalism more strongly and assimilationist thinking less strongly. In addition, the multiculturalism hypothesis proposes that the more minority groups endorse the ideology of multiculturalism (or assimilationism), the more (or less) likely they will be to identify with their ethnic in-group and to show positive in-group evaluation. In contrast, the more majority group members endorse multiculturalism (or assimilationism), the less (or more) likely they are to identify with their ethnic group and to show negative out-group evaluation. Results from 4 studies (correlational and experimental) provide support for this hypothesis among Dutch and Turkish participants living in the Netherlands. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)