As the evolution of information ecosystems has accelerated across higher education, learning commons have become iconic places celebrating the changing nature of student learning. These places have become important symbolic centres in higher education today, combining the goals of equitable education together with access to unprecedented layers of…

We offer a new conceptualization and measurement models for constructs at the group-level of analysis in small group research. The conceptualization starts with classical notions of group behavior proposed by Tönnies, Simmel, and Weber and then draws upon plural subject theory by philosophers Gilbert and Tuomela to frame a new perspective…

Simulations and games offer interactive tasks that can elicit rich data, providing evidence of complex skills that are difficult to measure with more conventional items and tests. However, one notable challenge in using such technologies is making sense of the data generated in order to make claims about individuals or groups. This article…

Per definition, CSCL research deals with the data of individuals nested in groups, and the influence of a specific learning setting on the collaborative process of learning. Most well-established statistical methods are not able to analyze such nested data adequately. This article describes the problems which arise when standard methods are…

This paper describes an on-line computer-based model designed to facilitate the teaching of research methods in undergraduate social psychology courses. The model simulates experimental outcomes data for three dependent variables obtained through the manipulation of a subset of nineteen independent variables reported on studies investigating the…

Develops and demonstrates a theoretical framework and corresponding methodology to link variables at the culture level to the individual level and, then, to specific outcome variables. Tests a path-analytic model linking cultural collectivism with interdependent self-construals and high-context communication. Discusses implications for theory…

"Chaos" theory is a revolutionary new paradigm developed by scientists to study the behavior of natural systems. "Chaos" refers to the tendency of dynamic non-linear systems toward irregular, sometimes unpredictable, yet deterministic behavior. Major tenets of the theory are presented. The precedent for use of models developed…

A "theory-in-use" model of interpersonal action is elaborated which describes a system of interpersonal behavioral principles that has essentially negative consequences on learning and decreases effectiveness. Experimental social psychology research is examined and found to be largely in implicit accordance with this model. A new model is proposed…

This paper is based on a PhD dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles. Research supported in part by the U.S. Public Health Service.

In a study to seek an alternative methodological approach to collective bargaining research, an interaction model based upon a systems approach to small group communication was used to observe, record, and quantify the communication behavior of teacher/school board negotiators. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether the interaction…

A conceptual model of individual assessment through the use of biodata responses with minimal input information is outlined. The process is considered especially applicable to industrial psychology. A scored autobiographical data form, which measures the individual's past behavior and experiences, provides for assignment to a specific subgroup…

The importance of teamwork in Information Systems Development (ISD) practice and education has been acknowledged but not studied extensively to date. This paper tests a model of how groups participating in ISD projects perform and examines the relationships between some antecedents of this performance based on group research theory well…