Deck 12: Decision Making

Question 1

What causes polarization in groups? Give at least three theoretical perspectives.

Answer 1

Answers will vary.

Question 2

Describe a study that could be done to test whether groups make better decisions than individuals do on intellective and judgmental tasks.

Answer 2

Answers will vary.

Question 3

Summarize the methods used and results obtained in Majorie Shaw's 1932 study of decision-making groups.

Answer 3

Answers will vary.

Question 4

Describe the methods used and the results obtained by Stasser and his colleagues in their studies of information sharing in groups while working on problems with hidden profiles.

Question 5

You want your group to work harder toward its goals.Draw on Coch and French's (1948)research to describe how you will improve the group's work ethic and performance.

Question 6

You belong to a group that must make a choice about a new venture.Option One is traditional,and will yield a nice profit.Option Two is riskier,and the venture may fail completely.However,the company stands to make a much greater profit in Option Two.Should you leave this decision to the company's board of directors?

Question 7

Using Vroom's model,identify the type of problems and circumstances that determine when to use these five methods of decision making: leader decides,leader consults members individually then decides,leader consults the group,leader and group discuss the issue,the group decides.

Question 8

Use the concepts of goal clarity and goal-path clarity to explain when a group will experience maximum optimism about its prospects for success.

Question 9

You must make a decision in a group,but your group is a highly cohesive one.What should you,the group's leader,do to minimize the possibility of groupthink developing?

Question 10

If your group is making a decision that is based on information that is widely distributed among members,what steps should you take to avoid the shared information bias?

Question 11

Define both cross-cueing and transactive memory systems,and give a detailed example of each.

Question 12

Summarize Janis's theory of groupthink graphically,and apply the theory to a political decision-making group.

Question 13

What four factors does Janis identify as key causes of groupthink?

Question 14

What are some advantages and disadvantages of making decisions by voting versus discussion to consensus?

Question 15

Give an example of each of these decisional "sins": commission,omission,imprecision.

Question 16

Why are meetings not as effective as they should be?

Question 17

Compare and contrast the basic five basic social decision schemes.

Question 18

Examine the stages of the ODDI process model of group decision-making,and identify the one stage that you feel could be skipped with few ill effects.

Question 19

On a hot day,Jerry Harvey's family decided to drive to Abilene in an un-air-conditioned car.Why?

Question 20

Recount the history of research on making risky decisions in groups,beginning with studies of risky shift and the Choice Dilemmas Questionnaire and ending with studies of group polarization.

Question 21

Group decision support systems are sets of tools that help structure and guide discussions to minimize bias.

Question 22

Jeni and Jeff have been married for 20 years.Jeni knows where the checkbook is;Jeff does not.Jeff knows how to work the remote controls,but Jeni does not.Jeni knows what to do when the hot water heater needs to be reset.Jeff does not.This example illustrates transactive memory.

Question 23

Groupthink is a type of brainstorming method that maximizes group creativity.

Question 24

One factor that minimizes groupthink is the presence of a strong-minded leader who makes his or her preferences known before the discussion.

Question 25

Highly cohesive groups are less likely to experience groupthink.

Question 26

Individuals,during group discussion,spend more of their time introducing new topics for discussion rather than reviewing items of information that are widely known by the group.

Question 27

Changing decision-making techniques,limiting premature seeking of concurrence,and correcting misperceptions and biases are some of the ways to avoid groupthink.

Question 28

The ODDI process model assumes groups move through four stages of group decision making: Organizing,Debating,Disseminating,and Integrating.

Question 29

Vroom's normative model of decision-making assumes that even though groups are called on to solve many types of problems there is only one method of group decision making.

Question 30

The shared information bias occurs when group's members withhold,and do not discuss,information that only they possess.

Question 31

Social comparison,normative influence,and social decision schemes are all causes of group polarization.

Question 32

Groups tend to make more cautious,conservative judgments than individuals.

Question 33

According to Parkinson's law,groups spend too much time discussing important issues.

Question 34

The Bay of Pigs invasion failed because,rather than relying on a group,President Kennedy made the decision without consultation.

Question 35

Cognitive representations pertaining to members,tasks,and procedures that members of a group have in common is the group's shared mental model.

Question 36

Members are more likely to follow through on decisions reached through discussion to consensus rather than by averaging individual members' choices.

Question 37

A risky shift is said to occur when groups make riskier decisions than individuals do.

Question 38

Studies of groups' superior memories for information suggests their proficiency is due to their ability to avoid problems that introduce inaccuracy in individual members' memories.

Question 39

Individuals who mostly work on individual projects are the ones who are most dissatisfied with group meetings,in general.

Question 40

A well-informed expert will make,in most cases,a decision that is superior to that made by a group of people who discuss the issue.

Question 41

According a process model of group decision making,which sequence is correct?

A)orientation,discussion,implementation,decision
B)discussion,orientation,decision,implementation
C)orientation,discussion,decision,implementation
D)discussion,decision,orientation,implementation
E)implementation,discussion,decision,orientation

Question 42

During the orientation phase of group decision making,the group should

A)recruit additional members.
B)discuss issues and gather information needed to make the decision.
C)clarify goals and ways to reach those goals.
D)assign roles.
E)review and,if necessary,practice communication skills.

Question 43

Collective memory is good,but it is NOT better than ___ memory

A)an average individual's
B)the best member's
C)a nominal group's
D)dyadic

Question 44

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Listeners tend to level,sharpen,and assimilate messages.
B)Two frequently mentioned problems reported by people making decisions in groups are poor meeting planning and poor communication skills.
C)People who most dislike meetings are those who must work closely with other people to accomplish their work-related tasks.
D)Both groups and individuals display a host of cognitive biases,such as the confirmation bias.

Question 45

According to studies of meetings,who most dislikes meetings?

A)new members of the organization
B)individuals who do not need to coordinate their activities with others
C)men
D)individuals who do not feel they could express their opinions in meetings
E)the organization's leaders

Question 46

When Bales used his Interaction Process Analysis (IPA)to study the content of group's discussions during decision making,he discovered that the most frequent type of behavior displayed by group members was

A)showing solidarity.
B)giving opinions.
C)asking for suggestions.
D)planning the process.
E)disagreeing.

Question 47

By the third week of the project,the group was starting to gel.The members shared a common understanding of who was supposed to do what,who could be counted on to keep up with their responsibilities,and how each person's contribution fit in with the group's goals.The group had developed a(n)

A)shared mental model.
B)primed goal orientation.
C)transportational memory
D)collective heuristic.
E)attributional framework.

Question 48

Ben is struggling to remember the name of the theorist who developed the theory of groupthink.When he says,"I think it was Joplin," Angela says,"Oh,I remember.It was Janis." This process illustrates

A)cross-cueing.
B)groupthink.
C)transactive memory.
D)collective induction.
E)collective deduction.

Question 49

"Majority rules," "Agree with whatever the boss says," and "All of us must agree before we approve it" are all examples of

A)social decision schemes.
B)collective induction.
C)truth-wins rules.
D)truth-supported-wins rules.
E)CESs (critical evaluation standards).

Question 50

The group is sharing information,planning,evaluating ideas,monitoring its progress on the task,and expressing commitment.It is most likely in the ___ stage.

A)orientation
B)discussion
C)decision
D)implementation
E)judging

Question 51

In confirmation of __,when the group gathers for a previously scheduled 2:00 to 4:00 PM meeting,members manage to discuss,debate,and complain about various issues right up until 3:59.

A)the risky-shift phenomenon
B)Parkinson's law
C)shared mental model
D)sins of omission model
E)shared information bias

Question 52

The ODDI process model traces good group decision-making to

A)the intelligence of the group members.
B)members' ability to resist their biases.
C)the degree of training the group members have received.
D)the use of teamwork procedures.
E)appropriate interpersonal processes during the decision-making phases.

Question 53

Marjorie Shaw,when comparing individual performance to group performance on difficult problems,found that

A)individuals solved more problems than groups did.
B)individuals who performed poorly alone did not do any better when placed in a group.
C)groups solved more problems than individuals.
D)groups need less time than did individuals.

Question 54

Studies of groups making decisions indicate that they spend too little time in the ___ stage of decision-making.

A)orientation
B)identity
C)decision
D)implementation
E)judging

Question 55

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Discussion to consensus is the best method to use to solve routine problems.
B)Voting takes longer than discussion to consensus.
C)The behind-the-scenes strategizing by group members aimed at manipulating the group's decision is called a social decision scheme.
D)Consensus is generally preferred when the group is grappling with sensitive issues.

Question 56

Joe,Meagan,Allison,and Timothy are classmates who must complete a major course assignment,as a group,by April 15th.During the first meeting,held on February 15th,they make plans for completing the project.Studies of the planning fallacy suggest they will

A)waste too much time planning out who will do what and when.
B)underestimate the amount of time the group will need to complete its work.
C)overestimate the amount of time the group will need to complete its work.
D)spend much of their time thinking about problems that might slow their progress.
E)make more accurate time estimates as a group than each one would if making plans individually.

Question 57

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Voting creates divisions in the group and should be avoided.
B)Groups prefer to use voting methods when dealing with sensitive,consequential matters.
C)Members react positively to decisions if they feel fair procedures were used.
D)Group members rebel when others make their decisions for them,even if they are benefited by the decision.

Question 58

A collective information-processing model of group decision making assumes that

A)groups are motivated to make good decisions.
B)when individuals join groups,they are instinctively driven to seek information.
C)groups seek out and process information to formulate decisions.
D)group member's thoughts are sometimes inconsistent with their behaviors.
E)social loafing is a cognitive deficit.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Kennedy's advisors experienced so much social loafing that they did not exert sufficient effort.
B)The individuals on the committee lacked the skills they needed to work in groups.
C)Kennedy did not exert enough authority during the discussions.
D)The Bay of Pigs planners made a series of errors in judgment.
E)The Bay of Pigs invasion would have exceeded if not for the bad weather.

Question 60

___ generally increases the time the group needs to reach its decision.

A)Delegating
B)Averaging inputs
C)Voting
D)Majority rules
E)Reaching consensus

Question 61

Who is least likely to make the conjunction error?

A)Individuals who make decisions alone.
B)Individuals who are rewarded if they make accurate decisions.
C)three-person groups.
D)three-person groups who are rewarded if they make accurate decisions.
E)Linda

Question 62

You arrange for the group to make the decision,although you provide the group with assistance if they ask.In Vroom's normative model you would be using a(n)___ decision-making method.

A)facilitating
B)consulting
C)delegating
D)laissez-faire

Question 63

Vroom's decision making model does NOT include which of the following decision methods.

A)Decides: The leader decides with no input from others.
B)Delegates: The leader delegates the decision to the group.
C)Consults: The leader obtains the opinions of subordinates and then the leader decides.
D)Facilitates: The leader assists as the group makes the decision.
E)Assigns: The leader assigns the problem to a specific individual.

Question 64

Distributive justice concerns were raised when the group

A)held a meeting in secret instead in public,as its bylaws require.
B)elected a new leader without notifying absent members.
C)awarded bonuses to some members but not to others.
D)did not bother to follow the corporate guidelines for tracking expenditures.
E)let the leader make all the key decisions.

Question 65

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Groups,during discussion,oversample unique,unshared information.
B)Groups excel at discovering hidden profiles.
C)Oversampling of shared information is greatest when groups work on questions with demonstrably correct solutions.
D)The study of medical decision makers indicates that senior members help groups manage their information.

Question 66

Which of the following errors was not identified by Kerr and colleagues?

A)sins of commission: Errors in how information is used
B)sins of omission: Errors caused by overlooking useful information
C)sins of imprecision: Reliance on methods that do not generate accurate results
D)sins of indecision: Avoiding making the decision altogether

Question 67

Risky shifts likely occur because

A)of errors in the design of the original experiments.
B)the leader persuades other group members.
C)caution is culturally valued.
D)group discussion has a polarizing impact on individuals.

Question 68

Group polarization is the

A)enhancement of individual performance when working with others on a project.
B)tendency for individuals to become less productive as group size increases.
C)tendency for the group's decisions to be more extreme than individuals' decisions.
D)arousal created when others are present.

Question 69

I become more cautious in the group because,while discussing my decision with other group members,they all suggest many interesting,influential arguments favoring a cautious approach.My shift is consistent with the ___ theory of group polarization.

A)social loafing
B)familiarization
C)persuasive arguments
D)social comparison
E)diffusion of responsibility

Question 70

Many years ago,Coch and French discovered and confirmed the importance of one key secret to achieving rapid and successful organizational change:

A)Make sure the benefits are far greater than the risks.
B)Involve all stakeholders in the decision-making process.
C)Help people realize that change is inevitable and unavoidable.
D)Give people who don't want to change the opportunity to exit the group gracefully.
E)Make sure all the group leaders present a united front favoring the change.

Question 71

Frank,Judy,Ted,and Bill have four hours to kill,and they are trying to decide if they should party or study.Frank favors studying for three hours and partying for one hour,Judy favors one hour of studying and three hours of partying,Ted is for all four hours of partying,and Bill wants to party for two hours and study for two hours.After discussion,Bill will probably

A)not change his opinion.
B)favor three hours of studying.
C)favor three hours of partying.
D)favor four hours of studying.

Question 72

The weather forecaster on Channel 6 says that tomorrow with be hot.The forecaster on Channel 8 says that tomorrow will be hot and humid.Because of the ___,you think that Channel 8's forecast is more accurate.

A)case-data bias
B)false consensus effect
C)dilution effect
D)conjunction error
E)irrelevance error

Question 73

Groupthink is

A)an increase in conformity pressures in mobs.
B)a decision making method used to facilitate creativity.
C)a pooling-of-information method of group problem solving.
D)the deterioration of mental and group efficiency.

Question 74

Polarization theory makes predictions opposite that of risky shift theory when

A)the average of members' prediscussion judgments is close to the cautious pole.
B)diffusion of responsibility is controlled.
C)diffusion of responsibility is not controlled.
D)the average of members' prediscussion judgments falls at the midpoint of the continuum.
E)the average of members' prediscussion judgments is close to the risky pole.

Question 75

The tendency for people to respond more favorably to decisions when they feel that they had the opportunity to express themselves and that others listened to them is known as

A)polarization.
B)risky shift.
C)the voice effect.
D)the plurality rule.
E)the normative shift.

Question 76

A hidden profile exists if

A)members are not given enough information to solve the problem.
B)the leader deliberately withholds key information about the problem.
C)the correct solution,even if suggested,seems incorrect.
D)the majority opposes the correct solution,but the minority knows the right answer.
E)groups,to identify the best solution,must pool unshared information effectively.

Question 77

Databases,search engines,communication tools,shared writing,and shared documents are tools used in ___ to help groups make better decisions.

A)electronic brainstorming (EBS)
B)group bulletin boards (GBBS)
C)social decision schemes (SDS)
D)computer aided decision making (CADM)
E)group decision support systems (GDSS)

Question 78

The group sets aside its own rules and decides to base reward allocations on length of membership rather than merit.The group thus violated ___ principles.

A)distributive justice
B)procedural justice
C)voice judgment
D)decision rule schema
E)oligarchy

Question 79

People,instead of seeking all available information,tend to seek information that confirms their decisions.Researchers found this bias was least likely

A)when individuals worked alone.
B)in groups.
C)in groups where one person disagreed with the majority.
D)in groups where two people disagreed with the majority.

Question 80

A social-comparison explanation of polarization in groups suggest that polarization occurs when

A)individuals compare their position to other members' positions,and find that others are more extreme than they are.
B)groups generate more arguments in favor of one position rather than another and the members shift their opinions in that direction.
C)groups implicitly adopt decision rules that prompt them to support more extreme decisions.
D)groups value caution more than risk,but can't make a clear comparison between these two values.