Improving group decisions by better pooling information: A comparative advantage of group decision support systems.

This study compared a group decision support system (GDSS) with face-to-face (FTF) group discussion on characteristics of information exchange and decision quality. Participants given conflicting information tended to share more of their unique data and engaged in more critical argumentation when using the GDSS than when meeting FTF. Conversely, when information was consistent among members, there were no such differences between FTF and GDSS groups. The GDSS groups significantly outperformed the FTF groups in agreeing on the superior hidden profile candidate, especially when there was a lack of prediscussion consensus. Individual-level analyses revealed that members of GDSS groups that did not have a prediscussion consensus tended to experience stronger preference shifts toward the group's consensus decision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgment.

Several modifications of the Asch experiment in which the S judges the length of lines in the company of a group of "stooges" who carry out the experimenter's instructions are described. These include a face-to-face situation, an anonymous situation, and a group situation, with self-commitment, public commitment and Magic Pad commitment variations. The results indicate that, even when normative social influence in the direction of an incorrect judgment is largely removed (as in the anonymous situation), more errors are made by Ss in experimental groups than by Ss making their judgments when alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of leadership style and anonymity on group potency and effectiveness in a group decision support system environment.

A longitudinal laboratory experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of leadership style (transactional vs transformational) and anonymity level (identified vs anonymous) on group potency and effectiveness of 36 undergraduate student work groups performing a creativity task using a Group Decision Support System (GDSS). GDSS are interactive networks of computers for generating solutions to unstructured problems. Results indicated that GDSS anonymity amplified the positive effect of transformational leadership on group potency relative to transactional leadership in the group writing session of the task. GDSS anonymity also increased the effect of transformational leadership relative to transactional leadership on group effectiveness. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating self and others in electronic and face-to-face groups.

After completing a decision task electronically or face to face, 105 students rated their own and other group members' contribution to the task completion and their degree of liking for group members. Actual contributions were the number of task relevant remarks each person contributed. Results indicated that self-ratings of contribution were more inflated and less accurate in electronic communication than in face-to-face communication. Liking accounted for significant variance in ratings of others' contributions in face-to-face groups, whereas actual contribution accounted for significant variance in ratings of others in electronic groups. Results suggest that rating biases stemming from liking are evident in ratings of others in face-to-face groups but not in electronic. Implications for online performance evaluations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group and computer-mediated discussion effects in risk decision making.

Managers individually and in 3-person groups made multiattribute risk choices (two investment alternatives, each with multiple outcomes). Two group decisions were reached during face-to-face discussion, and two were reached during (real-time) computer-mediated discussion. In comparison with prediscussion individual preferences, groups' multiattribute risk choices and attitudes after face-to-face discussion were risk averse for gains and risk seeking for losses, a tendency predicted by prospect theory and consistent with choice shift and other group extremitization research. By contrast, group decisions during computer-mediated discussion did not shift in the direction of prospect theory predictions. The results are consistent with persuasive-arguments theory, in that computer-mediated discussion contained less argumentation than face-to-face discussion. Social decision schemes were used to evaluate alternative assumptions about the group process. A "(prospect-theory) norm-wins" decision scheme described group choice well in the face-to-face discussion condition, but not in the computer-mediated discussion condition. Another decision scheme, first-advocate wins, which described choices well in both face-to-face and computer-mediated discussions, was explored in a discussion of the role of communication in group decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stepping up to the challenge: A critical examination of face-to-face and computer-mediated team decision making.

The stepladder technique was designed to improve team decision making by staggering members' entry into a discussion (S. G. Rogelberg, J. L. Bames-Farrell, & C. A. Lowe, 1992). After examining the real and perceived influence exerted by members joining the discussion at different stepladder stages, the authors compared the technique's effects on face-to-face versus computer-mediated teamwork. They also tested the impact of electronic communication on members' perceptions of their collaborative processes. Results did not support the hypothesis that stepladder members joining the discussion early in the procedure enjoy disproportionate amounts of perceived influence, yet a prediction concerning the stepladder technique's incongruent effects across different communication media was partially upheld. As expected, face-to-face participants felt more influential and satisfied than their computer-mediated counterparts, regardless of decision technique. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multilevel model of minority opinion expression and team decision-making effectiveness.

The consideration of minority opinions when making team decisions is an important factor that contributes to team effectiveness. A multilevel model of minority opinion influence in decision-making teams is developed to address the conditions that relate to adequate consideration of minority opinions. Using a sample of 57 teams working on a simulated airport security-screening task, we demonstrate that team learning goal orientation influences the confidence of minority opinion holders and team discussion. Team discussion, in turn, relates to minority influence, greater decision quality, and team satisfaction. Implications for managing decision-making teams in organizations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Majority and minority influence in group negotiation: The moderating effects of social motivation and decision rules.

In organizational groups, often a majority has aligned preferences that oppose those of a minority. Although such situations may give rise to majority coalitions that exclude the minority or to minorities blocking unfavorable agreements, structural and motivational factors may stimulate groups to engage in integrative negotiation, leading to collectively beneficial agreements. An experiment with 97 3-person groups was designed to test hypotheses about the interactions among decision rule, the majority's social motivation, and the minority's social motivation. Results showed that under unanimity rule, minority members block decisions, thus harming the group, but only when the minority has proself motivation. Under majority rule, majority members coalesce at the minority's expense, but only when the majority has a proself motivation. Implications for negotiation research and group decision making are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does the medium matter? The interaction of task type and technology on group performance and member reactions.

Investigated the hypothesis that as group tasks pose greater requirements for member interdependence, communication media that transmit more social context cues will foster group performance and satisfaction. 72 3-person groups of undergraduates worked in either computer-mediated or face-to-face meetings on 3 tasks with increasing levels of interdependence: an idea-generation task, an intellective task, and a judgment task. Results showed few differences between computer-mediated and face-to-face groups in the quality of the work completed but large differences in productivity favoring face-to-face groups. Analysis of productivity and of members' reactions supported the predicted interaction of tasks and media, with greater discrepancies between media conditions for tasks requiring higher levels of coordination. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of using computer-mediated communication systems for group work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects on Decision Quality of Supporting Multi-attribute Evaluation in Groups

In this study the effectiveness of multi-attribute utility (MAU) decision support in groups is evaluated for personnel selection problems differing in complexity. Subjects were asked to make an initial individual decision with or without MAU decision support. Next individuals formed small groups and were asked to reach a decision about the same problem. Groups received either MAU support or no support. Results show that for relatively simple problems the most effective method is to provide subjects with both individual and group decision support. Here, decision support had a clear impact on subjects' preferences and the level of agreement between group members. In addition, satisfaction with the decision and the decision procedure was relatively high. Overall, decision support improved communication; subjects reported to find the problem easier, to have more influence on the group decision, and to find it easier to express their opinions. For more complex problems, however, decision making without group support (whether preceded by individual support or not) was evaluated most favorably. Individual decision support in this condition was sometimes better than no support; i.e., there was a lower reported problem difficulty, a higher satisfaction with the group decision, and a higher reported influence on the group decision. The effectiveness of group MAU decision support for complex problems was evaluated less favorably.     

Group Decision Making and Perceived Decision Success: The Role of Communication Medium.

The authors investigated the role of communication medium on the relationship between team member perceptions and decision success. Seventy-three 3-person groups participated in a consensus intellective task either face-to-face (FTF) or via computer-mediated communication (CMC). The participants also assessed their group's decision success and team member competencies. CMC group members' success perceptions significantly predicted their group's performance, but FTF group members' perceptions did not. Furthermore, only CMC group members' judgments regarding their group's problem-solving ability significantly predicted their decision success. Last, judgments of decision success mediated the relationship between perceptions of members' problem-solving ability and decision success only for CMC group members. Implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Choice shift and group polarization: An analysis of the status of arguments and social decision schemes.

Two Choice Dilemma Questionnaire items were used to investigate the influence of persuasive arguments and social decision schemes on group decisions. Furthermore, the predictions of the persuasive arguments theory on the polarization of individual preferences were tested. Ss were given lists of persuasive arguments and a 2nd individual decision was requested before the group discussion. The lists of persuasive arguments were compiled through a stepwise process of rating data gathered from the content analysis of former group discussions. In Condition 1, the Ss received the lists of arguments before the 1st individual decision; in Condition 2, between the 1st and 2nd individual measure; and in Condition 3 (control), they received no list at all. In all 3 conditions the reduced paired comparison median model showed the best fit and the highest hit rate in predicting the group decisions. The resulting choice shift could not be explained by the influence of arguments, whereas the best-fitting aggregation rule was able to clarify the choice shift. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of repeated expressions on attitude polarization during group discussions.

Classic explanations of the "group polarization phenomenon" emphasize interpersonal processes such as informational influence and social comparison (Myers & Lamm, 1976). Based on earlier research, we hypothesized that at least part of the polarization observed during group discussion might be due to repeated attitude expression. Two studies provide support for this hypothesis. In Study 1, we manipulated how often each group member talked about an issue and how often he or she heard other group members talk about the issue. We found that repeated expression produced a reliable shift in extremity. A detailed coding of the groups' discussions showed that the effect of repeated expression on attitude polarization was enhanced in groups where the group members repeated each other's arguments and used them in their own line of reasoning. Study 2 tested for this effect experimentally. The results showed that the effect of repeated expression was augmented in groups where subjects were instructed to use each others' arguments compared to groups where instructions were given to avoid such repetitions.… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using Group Decision Support System to Support Value Management Workshops

A group decision support system (GDSS) is an interactive computer-based information system that combines the capabilities of communication technologies, database technologies, computer technologies, and decision technologies to support the identification, analysis, formulation, evaluation, and solution of semistructured or unstructured problems by a group in a user-friendly computing environment. As there is a strong demand for improvements to the practice of value management (VM), research has been conducted to design a GDSS prototype system, named the interactive value management system (IVMS), to explore its potential application in VM workshops and to investigate the effect of the application. The paper begins with an introduction to the problems of implementing VM in the Hong Kong construction industry and then proceeds to an illustration of the features of the proposed system, which has been developed in the research. Two validation studies designed to test the support of the proposed system are described and the results discussed. Findings from this research indicate that IVMS is supportive in overcoming the problems and difficulties in VM workshops.     

Do attitudes toward disclosure in donor oocyte recipients predict the use of anonymous versus directed donation?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the demographic and psychological characteristics of oocyte recipients and to determine whether the issue of disclosure about the use of a donor is a correlate of the decision to use an anonymous or directed donor. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): Ninety consecutive recipients of donated oocytes (64 of whom used anonymous donors and 26 of whom used directed donors). INTERVENTION(S): Pretreatment psychosocial evaluation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Recipient opinions and attitudes regarding the choice of donor type and disclosure to others as determined through a semistructured interview. RESULT(S): There were no statistically significant differences with regard to demographic characteristics between recipients who used anonymous and directed donors. There were statistically significant differences between the groups with regard to the issue of disclosure. Recipients who used directed donors were more likely to have told others about using an oocyte donor and were more likely to indicate that they intended to inform the child about the nature of his or her conception. CONCLUSION(S): Oocyte recipients who use known donors differ significantly from those who use anonymous donors with regard to the issue of disclosure to others. Further studies are needed to determine the causal direction of this relation.     

Online persuasion: An examination of gender differences in computer-mediated interpersonal influence.

The purpose of this research was to investigate how computer-mediated communication affects persuasion in dyadic interactions. Two studies compared participants' attitudes after hearing a series of arguments from a same-gender communicator via either e-mail or face-to-face interaction. In Study 1, women showed less message agreement in response to e-mail versus face-to-face messages, whereas men showed no difference between communication modes. Study 2 replicated this finding and examined the impact of prior interaction with the communicator. For women, the condition that provided the least social interaction led to the least message agreement. For men, the condition that provided the most social challenge led to the least message agreement. Results are interpreted in terms of gender differences in interaction style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of subordinate characteristics on trust and use of participative decision strategies in a management simulation.

Examined the influence of subordinate characteristics on use of participative decision strategies by administering a decision exercise to 148 business students. Ss evaluated the extent to which participative decision-making strategies were appropriate for work groups of varying job status and minority composition. Results indicate that willingness to use participative approaches is lower when subordinates are lower in job status or are predominately from a minority group. Potential organizational consequences of this tendency are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of number of majority defectors on minority influence.

Two experiments using the Twelve Angry Men (R. Rose, 1954) paradigm were conducted to investigate the effect of the number of majority defectors on the minority. Participants were more influenced by the minority when it acquired majority defectors than when it did not, and the number of majority defectors made a difference. In both experiments, the minority's influence progressively increased from 1 to 2 defectors until the 3rd defector, at which point a ceiling of influence was reached. The results also showed that when the minority could initially acquire only a single defector it had to acquire an additional 5 majority defectors to significantly increase its effectiveness. These results are discussed in the context of B. Latané and S. Wolfe's (1981) social impact theory and S. Tanford and S. Penrod's (1984) social influence model. Implications for group psychotherapy are mentioned. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative Study of Idea Generation between Traditional Value Management Workshops and GDSS-Supported Workshops

Value management (VM) has been widely used to meet challenges arising from the construction industry. However, it has also encountered some problems such as passive participation in VM workshops and a lack of time and information to complete all tasks in the workshops. A group decision support system (GDSS), entitled interactive value management system (IVMS), has been developed by the writers to overcome these problems. This paper starts with an introduction to GDSS and a critical review of technologies used in the process of idea generation in VM workshops. This is followed by findings of a laboratory experiment designed to compare the productivity of traditional brainstorming and brainstorming with IVMS support in VM workshops. The results of the experiment showed that IVMS has a positive influence on idea generation in VM workshops. Finally, the implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.     

Manifest and latent influence of majorities and minorities.

Compared group cohesiveness and behavioral style as mediators of majority and minority influence and tested the hypothesis that whereas majorities produce more manifest influence, minorities produce more latent influence. 96 female undergraduates, divided into majority and minority groups based on their initial judgments of the experimental issue, were asked to role play members of a jury and were led to anticipate deliberating on 2 civil cases. Ss, who were led to believe they were interacting in groups were exposed to an influence attempt by an individual who advocated either a majority or a minority position in the group. A 2?×?2?×?2 design was used, varying source status (majority or minority), group cohesiveness (high or low), and behavioral style of the influence source (high or low consistency). Results confirm the greater influence of majorities on a manifest level but not of minorities on a latent level. Both majority and minority influence were affected by group cohesiveness; neither was affected by behavioral style. Findings provide no evidence of different processes underlying majority and minority influence, consistent with a unitary model of social influence phenomena. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)