Goal
Evaluations of the decision processes may suggest how participatory processes and social goals interact with situational variables, like framing effects, in ways that individual performance cannot predict. By comparing group and individual performance and outcomes on these tasks, the investigators hope to test the following hypotheses: Framing: 1) As compared to individuals, groups will show less evidence of framing effects than individuals due to spontaneous re-framing. 2) Framing will affect the number of and order in which reasons for or against an option are generated.

Personality variables: Personality attributes, such as need for closure or extraversion, may affect both decision processes and outcomes.

Group variables: Group characteristics, such as cohesiveness and size, may affect both decision processes and outcomes. Individual preferences will shift toward the direction of the group decision, as measured by a change in preference between pre-discussion decisions and post-discussion decisions.

Anchoring: When members make individual decisions prior to group decision, they may show anchoring effects.

Background
This project considers whether the framing and status quo effects found in research on individual decisions will be attenuated or eliminated in decisions reached by group consensus. By recruiting members of pre-existing campus groups via e-mail and flyers, this project investigates the effects of framing and status quo manipulations on group decisions in scenarios that include a money allocation task, an internet file-sharing task (positive and negative frames), an organ donation task (opt-in and opt-out frames), a task about West Nile Virus (gain and loss frames), and a prize money task (accelerate and delay frames).

Data for the experiment include video of all group interactions, the decisions and written reasons for each task above, and nine pre-survey questionnaires measuring demographic info and personality variables.

Group interactions will be coded from video and transcripts, and will include such factors as references to self versus group, utilization of provided frame versus alternate frame, relative amount of speaking time by status within group / level of commitment / length of membership, and support of own position versus derogation of other’s position.

Research Questions
Do groups and individuals react differently to framing effects?

Do personality attributes and group characteristics affect decision processes and outcomes?

Last Updated: June 1, 2006