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Group decision making at a multialternative task: Extremity, interfaction distance, pluralities, and issue importance

Kerr, Norbert L. (1992) Group decision making at a multialternative task: Extremity, interfaction distance, pluralities, and issue importance. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 52 (1). pp. 64-95. ISSN 0749-5978. (doi:10.1016/0749-5978(92)90046-a) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:42523)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(92)90046-a

Abstract

Four-person groups attempted to reach unanimous agreement on four high- and four low-importance 6-point attitudinal scales. Continuous monitoring of each group member's current position permitted a social transition scheme (STS) analysis of a number of process questions which arise when groups must choose among several ordered alternatives. Members of extreme factions, members of submajority plurality factions, and nearby factions exerted greater attraction than moderate factions, members of subplurality factions, and distant factions, respectively. The latter effect was attributable, in part, to majority factions making small concessions to distant minority factions to prompt reciprocation and progress toward concensus. Groups were more likely to reach unanimous agreement and comparable shifts in opinion occurred more rapidly on the less important issues than on the more important issues. However, the present within-groups manipulation of issue importance exerted little effect on the group decision-making process. A number of explanations and applications of these effects are discussed.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/0749-5978(92)90046-a
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: M.L. Barnoux
Date Deposited: 21 Aug 2014 10:01 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:16 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/42523 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Kerr, Norbert L..

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