To explore the issue of the impact of group tradition on decision-making performance, the present study was designed to compare the decision-making effectiveness of ad hoc and established groups engaged in a consensus-type decision-making task. (Author)

This study examines the impact of one important task characteristic for the process by which groups solve problems. The principal comparison is between a generative problem and a choice task, and whether or not the differences between these types of tasks affect the group's methods for arriving at a decision. Two types of analysis are conducted of…

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of varying leader selection systems on the performance of political decision-making groups (judges). The type of leadership choice of the court was the independent variable and degree of dissent the dependent variable. As predicted, merit choice had less dissent. (NG)

The relative power of cooperative and trusting patterns of behavior versus those of exploitation and distrust in affecting the results of group decision-making processes was investigated. The outcome of a study using the Prisoner's Dilemma Game seems to suggest the disproportionate influence of competitive people in these settings. (Author)

This article describes a study done to compare, quantitatively and qualitatively, the problem-solving and decision-making performance of four populations: business administration students, middle managers, elementary school teachers and elementary and secondary school principals. Results show business administration students and middle managers…

Male and female graduate students interviewed an actor and an actress whom they believed to be real clients. To half of the counselors, the players posed as well-to-do individuals, and to half as working class individuals. Counselors may unconsciously emply a different decision-making process for high- and low-status clients. (Author)

The hypothesis was that structures built by group members in dealing with conflict and decision making would be contingent on their life styles. Three different sets of groups of persons with homogeneous life styles created three different (and predicted) structures in a problem-solving task. (Author)

Male and female subjects (N=186) participated in a simulated jury experiment in which race of the victim, race of the defendant, and amount of evidence against the defendant were varied. Results indicated racial similarity of the defendant and/or victim to subject jurors influenced levels of negative traits attributed to the defendant. (Author)

This study focuses on the local school board as an example of a small decision-making group involved in political decision-making. School boards in Kentucky (n=57) were included in the sample. Examined in particular the concepts of conflict and cohesion between school board members. (Author/EJT)

Senior level psychology majors and inservice counselors were administered the Rehabilitation Counseling Judgment Scale. A comparison of individual decisions, after sharing their thoughts in group discussion, indicated that group decisions were riskier than individual decisions. Implications of the effects of group interaction on rehabilitation…

Ninety college students were randomly assigned to be high or low-power and interacted with another who consistently cooperated, consistently competed, or alternately cooperated and competed. Low-power persons were hypothesized to be motivated to take another's cognitive perspective in order to reduce their uncertainty and to help them decide how…

The verbal interaction of 31 middle class early adolescent boys and their parents was analyzed in order to provide information concerning adolescent autonomy. The boys were independently and reliably classified on the basis of age, physical maturity, and intellectual level. The taped interactions were coded for interruptions, talking times,…

Effects of resource capability and interpersonal attraction on coalition behavior were studied. Introductory psychology students role played across three experimental conditions. Subjects were asked to select a coalition partner, predict formation of coalition, estimate winnings distribution. Male and female choices and predictions differed.…