Two-phase testing assesses individual performance (phase 1) and then allows collaborative learning within small groups (phase 2). While groups typically outperform individuals, less is known about the social decision schemes that influence member collaboration. In a classroom setting, we compared individual and group performance on a standard test…

Groups are ubiquitous in outdoor education and while there is a lot of literature on groups, there is limited examination of the assumptions made about groups and the effects these assumptions have on the practices of outdoor education. I utilise some of Michel Foucault's (1992) tools to investigate literature on outdoor education groups.…

The stimulus value of group boundaries was investigated in a field experiment. It was hypothesized that the size of a group and the status of its members would reduce the permeability of a boundary around an interacting group. Two or 4 interacting people of high or low status interrupted the traffic flow in a university hallway. Results indicate…

Presents a study designed to contrast the effects of task-based and interpersonal cohesiveness on group performance of students. Concludes that high task cohesion helped group performance, while interpersonal attraction had no apparent effect. Finding that increased interpersonal cohesion improved task commitment, the authors suggest that…

This book is a general report on aspects of group processes in elementary and secondary schools with reference to appropriate research. Group processes are defined as changes in the social unit known as the group that take place over a period of time; the expected changes occur in three domains--cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. The book…

This paper reports on the relationships between group composition, leadership and decisions through a study of small groups engaged in preferential bargaining about problems with open solution sets. The relationships were analyzed and can be compared best against the background of traditional approaches. (Author)

A study examined the relationship between participation and performance in groups to determine whether increased communicative activity brought about through participation in groups resulted in the acquisition of specific types of organizational knowledge and increased motivation which positively affected performance. Subjects for the study were…

The question whether individual study of risk problems (familiarization) leads to greater risk taking was investigated. Several explanations of the risk taking shifts are explicit in their requirement for group or social interaction. Investigations of whether risk shifts can be produced in the absence of group interaction have produced conflicting…

The social and collective aspect in human activities has become one of the main issues in Vygotskian analyses of learning and development. The study assumed that this aspect presupposes some feeling of belonging together and having a shared commitment on the part of the participants. Asserting that relatively little attention has been given to…

Presents results of a study contrasting different forms of group cohesiveness in a student military organization. Reports that task cohesiveness was more strongly associated with lower role uncertainty, higher individual performance, and lower absenteeism than was interpersonal cohesiveness. Concludes that data provide evidence for a…

This study was an attempt fo document aspects of small group work in classrooms engaged in the process education curricula called "Materials and Activities for Teachers and Children" (MATCH). Data on student-student interaction was related to small group work and gathered by paper-and-pencil sociometric questionnaires and measures of group…

Discusses some current attempts to redefine the concept of group cohesion, and examines studies designed to manipulate factors hypothesized to enhance cohesion. Concludes with suggestions for more systematic and potentially fruitful research. (Author)

Considers two determinants--one cognitive and the other motivational--of perceptual fluctuations of in-group variation. Results indicate that when motivation to protect social or personal identity from threat is absent, priming the in-group social category promotes a homogeneous and cohesive view of the in-group. (RJM)

Summarizes research comparing boundaries around larger and smaller groups. Finds that the perception of group boundary permatbility varies with group size. Reports a greater perceived distinction between the group and the individual passerby as group size increases. Describes the effects of varying group member proximity. Discusses implications…