Recent research has argued that several well-known judgment biases may be due to biases in the available information sample rather than to biased information processing. Most of these sample-based explanations assume that decision makers are "naive": They are not aware of the biases in the available information sample and do not correct for them.…

Whenever group work takes place, rules and norms are established by group members. Rules are typically written and formally stated by group members, whereas norms are more informal and are implicitly stated. But regardless of how rules and norms are established, they enable group members to develop procedures from which the group can function.…

The purposes of this study were: (1) to test several social decision schemes to obtain plausible explanations of different group processes in solving different disjunctive tasks; and (2) to study both dyads and tetrads solving a eureka and a non-eureka disjunctive task. Social decision schemes theory assumes that a group decision is a joint…

This paper analyzes role transitions in small groups within the context of a more general model of group socialization that is based on the psychological processes of evaluation, commitment, and decision making. The major advantage of such an approach is that it specifies why role transitions in small groups occur. According to the model, groups…

Discusses a theory of leadership effectiveness in small discussion/decision making groups developed to facilitate discussion and goal efficacy. Develops four leadership styles (coordinator, inventor, enthusiast, and director) focusing on two critical questions the leader must address. Discusses implications of the model for leadership training and…

Mathematical models have been used extensively to describe the judgmental processes and strategies of individual decision makers, but rarely have the procedures been extended to describe the judgmental strategies of decision-making groups. The present study attempts to extend the procedures for the purposes of describing group decision-making…

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)

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)

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…

Studies the sequence of phases in group decision making. Compares the unitary sequence model, which assumes that all groups follow the same sequence of phases, and the multiple sequence model, which assumes that different groups follow different sequences. Results support the latter model and suggest revisions in current decision development. (PD)

The effectiveness of the Delphi Technique is evaluated in terms of immediate and delayed controlled information feedback (feedback within 5 seconds as compared with a 24-hour delay); and the relationships that exist among measures of integrative complexity, estimations about the time of occurrence of future events, and time delay between task…

A study analyzed and compared four selected models in the cyclical tradition of group development as a basis for identifying possible issues and implications for future theory building. The theorists whose models were examined were Leland Bradford, Jack Gibb, William Schutz, and Theodore Mills. Both historical and conceptual perspectives of the…