A team theoretic model that establishes a criterion (decision rule) for a financial institution branch to report exceptional loan requests to headquarters for action was compared to such choices made by graduate industrial management students acting as financial vice-presidents. Results showed that the loan size criterion specified by subjects was…

The qualities of small group communication and interaction were tested in this study, which specifically measured group consensus and the quality of group decision making. Fifty groups of five members each were used. One member of each group was trained to exhibit either high or low "orientation," knowledge of the procedures the group…

The author trained confederates to exhibit either opinionated, moderately opinionated, or unopinionated styles of leadership, then assigned them to discussion groups. Each group was assigned a specific topic and instructed to decide on a specific policy toward the topic. They were also asked to make ratings that measured four other attitudes: the…

The purpose of this study was to develop an empirical framework to help conceptualize the process and outcome of negotiation. Specifically, the hypothesis tested was that prenegotiation expectations, the use of power strategies, and individual personality traits will, in combination, predict the outcome of negotiation proceedings. A test of the…

PARADIGM is a large-scale stochastic computer simulation of the flow of competing ideas through evolving groups. It is used to examine how different message characteristics influence the speed with which one idea overtakes another in popularity. PARADIGM is discussed in the context of changing ideas in an academic department. (CMV)

Describes a modified values auction simulation game, reports on three levels of analysis employing actual classroom data (group, subgroup, and individual), and offers suggestions for utilizing values data in social research. (CMV)

The behavior of 19 decision-making groups provided the basis for a model of the development of norms in newly formed groups. Data from the decision-making groups are used to illustrate the model, and implications for related research domains are discussed. Appended are 39 references. (MLF)

Paul Petzoldt, co-founder of the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), helped mold the profession of outdoor leadership as we know it today. After his death in 1999, numerous field journals, old speeches, and personal correspondence were salvaged in order to refresh, clarify, and preserve Petzoldt's philosophy and teaching methods. The…

Many decisions made by outdoor leaders are critical to the well-being of an entire group. Understanding the psychology of groups is important to successful leadership. This paper presents ways that individuals are motivated in groups, how groups respond, some symptoms of problems, and strategies to divert problems that can overwhelm a group.…

Recent research in group behavior and organizational development is centered around increasing the individual's self-esteem and on developing individual participation in group success. Effective groups depend on a variety of individual contributions and shared decision making, while in turn satisfying human needs for security, achievement, and…

To provide a theoretical base for investigating the influence of inferential error on group decision making, current literature on both inferential error and decision making is reviewed and applied to the Watergate incident. Although groups tend to make fewer inferential errors because members' inferences are generally not biased in the same…

An Arabic translation of the "Work Environment Scale" was administered to the employees of Riyadh University's College of Education in Saudi Arabia for the purpose of gathering data useful in administrative decision-making. The survey investigated the work environment of the college as it is perceived by three distinct groups: the…

This discussion is concerned with the rationale and method of the Woodard Outreach Group Model. Included is a description of some of the theoretical and strategic matters involved with this method of working with small groups. Examples are presented illustrating ways in which the model has been modified and used with success in a variety of…

The purpose of this essay was to propose a new explanation of collective behavior and to hypothesize the role of communication in this process. Unlike previous theories, which rely on a group effect, this explanation is based on the behavior of individual members of the collectivity. Using the experimental finding of the "risky shift,"…