Identifies six major factors that exerted influence on the decision-making process that led to the launch of the space shuttle, Challenger, on January 28, 1986. Concludes that decision to launch Challenger resulted from complex interplay among a number of cognitive, psychological, and social forces constituting the decision environment. (Author/NB)

Presents conceptual model of group decision-making process that identifies essential factors and processes that impact upon group decisions. Integrates concepts from various academic disciplines to provide theoretical framework for research generation and to organize and synthesize past and future research findings in effort to establish…

Introduces a systematic methodology for the analysis of covert or latent group talk, along with a set of operational procedures of validation. The methodology is related to analogical reasoning. (RC)

Presents literature relevant to initial group structure and advances a model of group development based upon personal construct theory. The proposed model illuminates the relationship between initial structure and the psychological processes underlying group development. Research questions are posited to advance empirical tests of the model. (RC)

Analyzed pieces of verbal protocol in a group (N=13), demonstrating structures of cognition and language as they pertain to numbers occurring in verbal productions. Analysis suggested that these linguistic anomolies, though atypical, are not anomalous but are clear cases representing processes of cognition and language. (LLL)