Much of the material presented here derives from a study of the termination phase of group development undertaken to test the validity of a portion of a stages model developed by Garland, Kolodny, and Jones (1965). This model for stages of group development postulates five stages of group life. (Author)

Discusses the definition and origin of the term "groupthink." Examines three studies on groupthink by John Courtright (1978), Matie Flowers (1977), and Philip Tetlock (1979). Concludes none of the three is superior to another but that it can be learned from all three that group decision making is fraught with danger. (ABL)

In the absence of information to the contrary, an individual tends to assume that members of an out group have values which differ from his own. The effect is even more marked for highly prejudiced persons. In the present paper two experiments are reported which extend the belief similarity hypothesis. (Author)

Analyzes Bennis and Shephard's theory of group development using empirical data from three T-groups. Theoretical and methodological issues regarding the formulation and verification of theories of group development are raised. (Author/BP)

Empirical research and past conceptualizations of small groups are reviewed, focusing on attempts to identify the essential characteristic of "groupness." An alternate conceptual schema is suggested which integrates the study of groups into a single morphological system emanating from modern system theory. (Author)

Presents a theoretical model of group development based on five stages of development, each with a central issue. They are (1) orientation stage (dependence vs independence); (2) conflict stage (control vs adaptation); (3) integration stage (implicit vs explicit social structure); (4) achievement stage (intellectualizing vs implementation); and…

Describes experiment designed to illustrate the potential of multidimensional scaling (MDS) in illustrating the perceptions of those in a group regarding one another, specifically of coalitions. Participants were 35 students enrolled in a graduate business course. Suggests positive results of the exploratory research show MDS holds promise as an…

Discusses observations of a group of boys who formed a study group under direction of a local charismatic rabbi in an Israeli slum. Discusses boys' transistion from delinquent to nondeliquent behavior in terms of reference group theory. Found major attracting factors of group to be warmth and caring with order and discipline. Discusses…

Examines proposition that covert roles within a group are assigned to individual group members based on their propensity to verbally or nonverbally express certain patterns of unwanted, disowned, and projected emotions that are experienced as threatening by other members. Focuses on articulating a model, describing a method, and presenting…

Examined relationship among amount of conflict experienced, the style of its management, individual satisfaction, and decision quality of small, task-oriented groups using 129 college student subjects in 24 groups. Data suggest a curvilinear relationship between the number of conflict episodes experienced by group members and the subsequent…

Time-limited and time-extended groups studied appeared to be similar in stage development with abnormalities in process accounted for by the amount of time the groups have continuously met. Support was given to the concept of stages as a series of cyclical movements characterized by clusterings of related behaviors. (Author)

Varied composition of three-man military teams (N=64) by assigning members according to team composition in all possible combinations of ability and motivation. Found both ability and motivation had an additive effect on crew performance, thus leading to conclusion that when teams perform highly interdependent tasks, performance is apparently…

Assessed curative factors among therapy groups of offenders experiencing differentially restrictive incarceration from probation through minimum security and maximum security to a special segregation unit for behaviorally problematic prisoners. Found wide differences between the curative factors that participants found most helpful in therapy…

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…

Investigated reliability and dimensionality of Bales's Interpersonal Rating Forms (IRF) using volunteer subjects (N=266) enrolled in undergraduate communications course. Results documented shortcomings of IRF as a measuring instrument finding the subscales neither reliable nor dimensionally structured; only 2 of 18 items in each subscale are…