Exam 8: Group Decision Making

If groups with contrasting opinions meet together to discuss an issue, ____ predicts that the group opinions will move toward each other, whereas _____ predicts that the group to opinions will move away from each other.

Brauer and Judd manipulated both the number of times that participants heard others express their beliefs as well as the number of times the participants expressed their own beliefs. Which of the following did they find to be the best predictor of group polarization?

A task in which the group outcome depends upon the performance of the best group members is a(n) _____ task, whereas a task in which the group outcome depends upon the performance of the worst member is a(n) ____ task.

A group is solving a word-finding task. Although the task is difficult, the correct word is obvious to everyone as soon as one of the group members finds it. The decision scheme in this case is

Which of the following would not be effective in preventing to groupthink?

A researcher finds that there is more group polarization after groups discuss the topic of interest than there is after groups only share their opinions but do not discuss the issue. Which of the following explanations could account for this finding?

A scientist is interested in studying whether groups or individuals make better decisions. She compares a group of 10 students working together on a task to a group of 10 students, each working alone on a task, but she combines the work of these 10 students together. The 10 students whose individual work has been combined are known as a

John and Sarah are going to play some basketball with their friends. They begin by choosing their teams. If both John and Sarah are trying to choose the best players they can get, then their selection is designed to maximize

A jury is considering whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Eight of the jury members believe that the defendant is innocent before the deliberations begin, whereas four believe he is guilty. The most likely jury decision is

In research conducted by Myers and Kaplan, mock juries of U.S. college students were asked to assess the guilt or innocence of defendants. In some groups the evidence against the defendant was strong and in other cases the evidence was weak. Which of the following was found after the groups discussed the case?

One problem with the social comparison explanation of group polarization is that

Group polarization refers to which of the following?

A jury is considering whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Eight of the jury members believe that the defendant is innocent before the deliberations begin. Once the jury begins its discussion a jury member who initially voted for guilt changes to vote for innocence. At this point the jury decides that the defendant is innocent. The decision rule in this case was likely to have been which of the following?

Climbing a mountain is a(n) ______ task whereas painting a house is a(n) _____ task.

Which of the following represents a formula that can be used to predict group productivity?

What is group polarization, and when does it occur? Consider four different theoretical approaches that can explain group polarization. What research supports each of these explanations?

Searching for the correct answer to a word in a crossword puzzle is a _____ task whereas making a decision about how much money to invest in the stock market is a _____ task.

How should the performance of groups and individuals be compared? Be sure to consider the use of nominal groups in your answer.

Consider the task typologies that have been used to categorize group performance, and give examples of tasks that represent each type.

A group is solving a complex math problem. Juliette finds what she believes is the correct answer, but the group does not at first accept her decision. After a few more minutes, Blanche also finds the same solution. At this point the group accepts the solution as correct. Which of the following decision schemes has been used?