Group Problem Solving

  1. Typology of tasks
    1. Goal
      1. Generate
        1. Planning tasks (action-oriented plans)
        2. Creativity tasks
      2. Choose
        1. Intellective tasks (correct answer tasks)
          1. Eureka tasks
          2. Non-eureka tasks
            1. objectively correct answers
            2. expert-defined correct answers
        2. Decision-making tasks (preferred answer tasks)
      3. Execute
        1. Contests/Battles (winning)
        2. Performances (excelling)
      4. Negotiate
        1. Cognitive conflict (viewpoint differences)
        2. Mixed-motive conflict (value differences)
    2. Combination Rule
      1. Additive: group product = sum of individual inputs (tug-of-war)
      2. Compensatory: group product = average of individual inputs; one individual's performance can compensate for another's (night watch)
      3. Disjunctive: group product can = one individual's performance (mathematical problem)
      4. Conjunctive: group product = unique contributions of each individual (relay race)
    3. Task type
      1. Divisible (task can be divided into subtasks)
      2. Unitary (task cannot be subdivided)
    4. Criterion
      1. Quantity
      2. Quality
      3. Speed
      4. Efficiency
      5. Complex rules
  2. Factors influencing group processes and products
    1. Composition
    2. Size
    3. Decision Rules
      1. Formal rules (e.g., majority rules, 2/3 majority rules, consensus, unanimity)
      2. Informal/Analytical rules (e.g., truth wins, truth-supported wins, compromise/average solution)
  3. Communication (amount, modality, patterns)
  4. Cohesiveness: sum of social forces tending to bind individuals to group (e.g., attractiveness of group or members, dependency on group or members)
  5. Typical Problems
    1. Confusion over task goal
      1. Intellective tasks treated as decision-making tasks
      2. Cognitive conflict treated as mixed-motive.
      3. Confusion over combination rule
      4. Disjunctive tasks treated as compensatory
      5. Additive/Compensatory tasks treated as conjunctive
    2. Confusion over task type
      1. Divisible treated as unitary
    3. Confusion over criterion
      1. Quantity valued over quality
      2. Speed valued over efficiency
  6. Research strategy
    1. Actual productivity=potential productivity-process losses
    2. Actual productivity= Sum of potential individual productivity + interaction gains - interaction losses - social loafing
    3. Comparisson of group product to:
      1. Average individual
      2. Best individual
      3. Worst individual
      4. Statisticized group
    4. Evaluation of process versus outcome; the outcome can depend on factors beyond the group's control.
  7. Research Results on Intellective tasks (correct answers)
    1. In general groups do neither as well as best individual nor as poorly as average of individual members.
    2. Groups appear to operate on a "truth-supported wins" rule; i.e., if two or more members arrive at correct answer, then the group accepts the answer.
    3. Exception is eureka (insight) tasks where a "truth wins" rule appears to be in force.
    4. Why?
      1. Note: If group can obtain correct answer if any individual succeeds, then if in a group an individual has the correct answer, the problem must be in interaction losses.
      2. Groups tend to treat disjunctive unitary tasks as conjunctive or additive tasks; i.e., groups tend to treat problems that can be solved by any single individual with appropriate knowledge/skill as requiring input of all group members. (e.g. Restle & Davis 1962 -- group members tend to take equal share of time)
      3. Contributions of members not given weights correlated with competence.
      4. High statust individuals are influential, but status differences in group do not map competence.
      5. Confident individuals are influential, but confidence differences do not map competence.
      6. Social pressures towards conformity with incompetent majority.
      7. Difficulty in deterimining correct answer.
    5. Groups tend to do better when they spend time on organization first.