ERIC Number: EJ1267401
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2365-7464
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Available Date: N/A
A New Measure of Group Decision-Making Efficiency
Hsieh, Cheng-Ju; Fific, Mario; Yang, Cheng-Ta
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, v5 Article 45 2020
It has widely been accepted that aggregating group-level decisions is superior to individual decisions. As compared to individuals, groups tend to show a decision advantage in their response accuracy. However, there has been a lack of research exploring whether group decisions are more efficient than individual decisions with a faster information-processing speed. To investigate the relationship between accuracy and response time (RT) in group decision-making, we applied systems' factorial technology, developed by Townsend and Nozawa ("Journal of Mathematical Psychology" 39, 321-359, 1995) and regarded as a theory-driven methodology, to study the information-processing properties. More specifically, we measured the workload capacity C[subscript AND](t), which only considers the correct responses, and the assessment function of capacity A[subscript AND](t), which considers the speed-accuracy trade-off, to make a strong inference about the system-level processing efficiency. A two-interval, forced-choice oddball detection task, where participants had to detect which interval contains an odd target, was conducted in Experiment 1. Then, in Experiment 2, a yes/no Gabor detection task was adopted, where participants had to detect the presence of a Gabor patch. Our results replicated previous findings using the accuracy-based measure: Group detection sensitivity was better than the detection sensitivity of the best individual, especially when the two individuals had similar detection sensitivities. On the other hand, both workload capacity measures, C[subscript AND](t) and A[subscript AND](t), showed evidence of supercapacity processing, thus suggesting a collective benefit. The ordered relationship between accuracy-based and RT-based collective benefit was limited to the A[subscript AND](t) of the correct and fast responses, which may help uncover the processing mechanism behind collective benefits. Our results suggested that A[subscript AND](t), which combines both accuracy and RT into inferences, can be regarded as a novel and diagnostic tool for studying the group decision-making process.
Descriptors: Test Construction, Group Dynamics, Decision Making, Efficiency, Reaction Time, Accuracy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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