Factors Affecting the Relative Proportion of Reason and Preference Statements During Problem-Solving Group Discussion

Abstract

The exchange of information and of member preferences are two different avenues for social influence during group discussion with potentially differing implications. The goal of the study was to evaluate the impact of three factors proposed to influence the relative proportion of preference and reason statements during group problem-solving discussion. As hypothesized, groups beginning in consensus discussed relatively more preferences than groups beginning in disagreement. Contrary to expectation, judgmental and intellective tasks did not differ in proportions of preference and reason statements. Opposite of prediction, the opportunity to form a pre-discussion preference resulted in a smaller proportion of preference statements than the absence of this opportunity.

Keywords:

• Content Analysis
• Decision Heuristics
• Framing
• Small Group Communication

We thank the members of Communication 442 for their hard work on this project.

Notes

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∗p < .05.

Employing six problems opens up the issue of possible fatigue or boredom effects for the later problems. This possibility was evaluated through computing the mean number of coding units for each problem in sequence, under the assumption that this number, which closely parallels time spent in discussion, would be, in general, smaller toward the end if any groups suffered from fatigue or boredom. The means were as follows: first problem, 22.98; second problem, 29.78; third problem, 31.00; fourth problem, 19.90; fifth problem, 27.88; and sixth problem, 32.95. As the last two were as great or greater than the first two, fatigue or boredom appears not to have occurred.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Charles Pavitt

Charles Pavitt (PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1983) is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE.

Lindsey Aloia

Lindsey Aloia (MA, University of Delaware, 2009) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University, University Park, PA.