Question 1

Because group decision making and performance depends in part upon the characteristics of the individuals in the group and in part on group process, it can be said to be

Accepted Answer

Group decision making and performance is influenced by both individual characteristics and group processes, aligning with the interactionist perspective, which emphasizes the importance of interactions between individuals and their environments.

Question 2

Climbing a mountain is a(n) ______ task whereas painting a house is a(n) _____ task.

Accepted Answer

Climbing a mountain is considered a unitary task because it generally must be completed in its entirety to be successful and cannot be easily divided into smaller, independent tasks. Painting a house, on the other hand, is a divisible task because it can be broken down into smaller, independent sections (e.g., walls, doors, trim) that can be completed separately.

Question 3

Lifting a piano is a(n) ______ task whereas making a decision is a(n) _____ task.

Accepted Answer

B

Question 4

A task in which the group outcome depends upon the performance of the best group members is a(n) _____ task, whereas a task in which the group outcome depends upon the performance of the worst member is a(n) ____ task.

Accepted Answer

Disjunctive tasks are those where the group's performance is determined by the best member's performance, while conjunctive tasks depend on the performance of the weakest link or worst member.

Question 5

A factory in which an assembly line makes a product represents a(n) _____ task whereas a jury working together to make a decision represents a(n) _____ task.

Accepted Answer

An assembly line in a factory represents an additive task where the contributions of all workers add up to complete the product. A jury making a decision represents a compensatory task where members work together to reach a consensus or compromise.

Question 6

Searching for the correct answer to a word in a crossword puzzle is a _____ task whereas making a decision about how much money to invest in the stock market is a _____ task.

Accepted Answer

Searching for a crossword answer is a criterion task, requiring specific knowledge, while investing involves judgmental decision-making based on uncertain outcomes.

Question 7

John and Sarah are going to play some basketball with their friends. They begin by choosing their teams. If both John and Sarah are trying to choose the best players they can get, then their selection is designed to maximize

Accepted Answer

John and Sarah are focusing on selecting the best players based on their individual skills and abilities, which relates to member characteristics.

Question 8

If Midge can address 100 letters in an hour, Frankie can address 110 letters in an hour, and Tom can address 140 letters in an hour, then which of the following could represent the potential group productivity of the three working together as a group?

Accepted Answer

Midge, Frankie, and Tom can address 100, 110, and 140 letters per hour, respectively. Working together, they can address 100 + 110 + 140 = 350 letters per hour.

Question 9

Charlene can stitch 40 shirts in a day, Toni can stitch 25 shirts in a day, and Harriet can stitch 60 shirts in a day. They are working together in a group, but there is a process loss in the group. How many shirts might they stitch in a day?

Accepted Answer

The total individual capacity is 125 shirts per day (40 + 25 + 60). However, due to process loss in the group, the actual output is likely less than the sum of their individual capacities, making 100 a plausible number.

Question 10

Which of the following represents a formula that can be used to predict group productivity?

Accepted Answer

The formula "Actual productivity = potential productivity - process loss + process gain" accurately represents a way to predict group productivity. It takes into account the maximum possible productivity, subtracts the losses due to group processes, and adds any gains from working as a group.

Question 11

A scientist is interested in studying whether groups or individuals make better decisions. She compares a group of 10 students working together on a task to a group of 10 students, each working alone on a task, but she combines the work of these 10 students together. The 10 students whose individual work has been combined are known as a

Accepted Answer

The correct term for a group of individuals whose work is combined but who work independently, rather than interacting with each other, is a "nominal group." This contrasts with real groups where members interact with each other.

Question 12

Stewart can lift 100 pounds. Janice can lift 110 pounds. Gerard can lift 120 pounds. When they are lifting together they can lift 340 pounds. This represents which of the following?

Accepted Answer

When Stewart, Janice, and Gerard lift together, they can lift exactly the sum of their individual lifting capacities (100 + 110 + 120 = 330 pounds), but the statement says they lift 340 pounds together, which is an error in my explanation. Correctly, adding their individual capacities equals exactly what they can lift together, which represents neither a process gain (where the group outcome exceeds the sum of individual inputs) nor a process loss (where the group outcome is less than the sum of individual inputs).

Question 13

A group is solving a word-finding task. Although the task is difficult, the correct word is obvious to everyone as soon as one of the group members finds it. The decision scheme in this case is

Accepted Answer

The "truth wins" decision scheme applies when the correct answer becomes obvious to everyone once it is found or proposed, leading to a unanimous agreement on the solution.

Question 14

A group is solving a complex math problem. Juliette finds what she believes is the correct answer, but the group does not at first accept her decision. After a few more minutes, Blanche also finds the same solution. At this point the group accepts the solution as correct. Which of the following decision schemes has been used?

Accepted Answer

The "Truth supported wins" decision scheme is used when a solution is accepted after it is independently verified or supported by another member of the group, as happened when Blanche found the same solution as Juliette.

Question 15

Which of the following decision schemes might be used when group members vote among proposed alternatives?

Accepted Answer

Majority wins is a common decision-making scheme where the alternative with the most votes from group members is selected.

Question 16

A jury is considering whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Eight of the jury members believe that the defendant is innocent before the deliberations begin, whereas four believe he is guilty. The most likely jury decision is

Accepted Answer

Given that the majority of the jury members (8 out of 12) believe the defendant is innocent before deliberations begin, it is most likely that their initial majority opinion will influence the final decision towards innocence, assuming no significant change of opinion occurs during deliberation.

Question 17

A jury is considering whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Eight of the jury members believe that the defendant is innocent before the deliberations begin. Once the jury begins its discussion a jury member who initially voted for guilt changes to vote for innocence. At this point the jury decides that the defendant is innocent. The decision rule in this case was likely to have been which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The "first shift" rule suggests that the decision is made when the first person changes their vote, which aligns with the scenario where one juror changes their vote to innocence, leading to the decision.

Question 18

One limitation of the decision scheme approach to understanding group decision making is that it

Accepted Answer

The decision scheme approach to understanding group decision making primarily focuses on how decisions are made based on predetermined rules or schemes, but it often overlooks the dynamic aspects of group interactions, such as the differences among group members in persuasive ability. This limitation means that the approach might not fully account for how the persuasive power of certain members can influence the group's decision-making process.

Question 19

Which of the following is likely to cause groupthink?

Accepted Answer

High social identity and group cohesion can lead to groupthink because members of the group may prioritize harmony and consensus over critical evaluation of alternative ideas or solutions.

Question 20

Which of the following is likely to cause groupthink?

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is more likely to occur in situations where there is significant time pressure and stress, as these conditions can lead to a desire for quick consensus and discourage critical evaluation of alternatives.

Quiz 8: Group Decision Making

Because group decision making and performance depends in part upon the characteristics of the individuals in the group and in part on group process, it can be said to be

Climbing a mountain is a(n) __ task whereas painting a house is a(n) _ task.

Lifting a piano is a(n) __ task whereas making a decision is a(n) _ task.

A task in which the group outcome depends upon the performance of the best group members is a(n) _ task, whereas a task in which the group outcome depends upon the performance of the worst member is a(n) task.

A factory in which an assembly line makes a product represents a(n) _ task whereas a jury working together to make a decision represents a(n) _ task.

Searching for the correct answer to a word in a crossword puzzle is a _ task whereas making a decision about how much money to invest in the stock market is a _ task.

John and Sarah are going to play some basketball with their friends. They begin by choosing their teams. If both John and Sarah are trying to choose the best players they can get, then their selection is designed to maximize

If Midge can address 100 letters in an hour, Frankie can address 110 letters in an hour, and Tom can address 140 letters in an hour, then which of the following could represent the potential group productivity of the three working together as a group?

Charlene can stitch 40 shirts in a day, Toni can stitch 25 shirts in a day, and Harriet can stitch 60 shirts in a day. They are working together in a group, but there is a process loss in the group. How many shirts might they stitch in a day?

Which of the following represents a formula that can be used to predict group productivity?

Stewart can lift 100 pounds. Janice can lift 110 pounds. Gerard can lift 120 pounds. When they are lifting together they can lift 340 pounds. This represents which of the following?

A group is solving a word-finding task. Although the task is difficult, the correct word is obvious to everyone as soon as one of the group members finds it. The decision scheme in this case is

Which of the following decision schemes might be used when group members vote among proposed alternatives?

A jury is considering whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Eight of the jury members believe that the defendant is innocent before the deliberations begin, whereas four believe he is guilty. The most likely jury decision is

One limitation of the decision scheme approach to understanding group decision making is that it

Which of the following is likely to cause groupthink?

Which of the following is likely to cause groupthink?