Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) involves the interaction and interdependence of students' social and cognitive skills, making it a complex learning process. To delve into the complex dynamics of CPS, previous research has categorized socio-cognitive roles, providing insights into social-cognitive frameworks. However, despite the specific…

New technologies transform research specialties and potentiate new fields. Sociometers--wearable electronic sensors collecting quantitative, dynamic data about embodied social interactions at hyperfine scales--represent such a possibility for small group research. This article introduces this new method and its distinctive qualities and…

Many universities in the United States and Europe offer honors programs to meet the demands of gifted and intelligent students. One of the standard goals of these programs is to build an intellectual learning community. Establishing a community can be difficult because it requires that students show an active attitude and initiative. Many…

This research study examined student perceptions of group experiences in the classroom. The author used cooperative learning and team-based learning to focus on three characteristics that are critical for the success of groups: structure of activities, relationships of group members, and accountability of group members. Results indicated that…

The purpose of this research was to study the characteristics of the intragroup relations between the middle-status adolescents in a student group and the other status categories. It is assumed that the social and psychological portrait of an open adolescent student group, the character of the orientation and the level of its development, and the…

This paper investigates the effects that different patterns of similarity among group members have on a group's performance on a problem-solving task. I discuss and test hypotheses on the effects of similarity on group performance derived from two literatures: balance theory and research on homophily. In an experiment I found that the relative…

Within the literature on group counseling and psychotherapy, the structure of therapeutic group processes is frequently described in terms of stages of the group process. Numerous group stages have been proposed to describe the social interaction and change in social interaction that is characteristic of group therapy. This study examined the…

The results suggested group space boundaries increased with group size (from groups of one to two to four) if group members were strangers, but not if group members were friends. The only nonspatial variable found to correlate with boundary size was personal identity. (Author)

Results of this study demonstrate the importance of the level of psychological risk and the quality of the interpersonal orientation of structured group exercises. (Author)

Findings indicate that interpersonal compatibility in work groups and its relationship to goal achievement is not a unidimensional or unidirectional phenomenon. Rather, compatibility appears inextricably related to other aspects of group problem solving, including the methodology of decision making. (Author/IRT)

This study first investigates the effects of group structure on collective projections in groups, then examines how collective projections feed back and affect group structure. It examines the effects of having a deviant in a group on group projections and responses. (Author)

A study explored the perspectives of 12 parents of children with disabilities who attended inclusive play groups between 1987 and 1996. Factors that should be considered when planning and implementing inclusive play groups to help parents of children with disabilities feel more comfortable within the groups are discussed. (Author/CR)

A structured approach to group therapy was added to an alcoholic treatment program previously offering only unstructured insight-oriented groups. Participants in the interpersonal problem-solving group therapy were generally very active in all sessions. Participants reported actively utilizing their learning after leaving the treatment program, a…

Focused on applying a variation of the semantic differential technique (SD) to changes in group structure over time and treatment. Members (N=29) of two T groups rated their respective group members on an SD form. Results showed acceptance of members increased as the groups progressed. (RC)

Hypotheses linking positional power in bargaining networks to evaluations of self and others were supported: (1) persons in central exchange network positions evaluate themselves as feeling more pleasant and more exhilarated; and (2) central persons impute lower status and higher positive evaluations to peripheral positions. (Author)