Listing and Structuring of Discussion Content: as a Means of Improving Individual Decision Quality in Hidden Profiles

In: Social psychology, Band 40, Heft 2, S. 79-87

Abstract

Groups often fail to solve so-called "hidden profiles." Common explanations for this failure focus on group processes. However, recent findings show that group members stick to their individual faulty preferences even in the absence of such group processes. The present study examines whether listing and structuring of discussion content improves individual decision quality in hidden profile tasks. We found that the probability of detecting the best and the worst alternative was higher in the experimental conditions where participants listed and structured all information concerning decision alternatives, as compared to a control condition without any listing and structuring. Additional structuring criteria, namely structuring according to valence and novelty of information did not affect solution rates.