Social judgment analysis and small group decision making: Cognitive feedback effects on individual and collective performance

Abstract The study was designed to determine what aspects of cognitive feedback to small groups account for their level of performance on cognitive conflict tasks. Study participants included 275 undergraduate students, 158 females and 117 males. One set of groups was given task-related instruction and cognitive feedback fully exchanged among all group members; two other sets of groups differed in the extent to which cognitive feedback was made available to their members. All groups were assessed on the degree of accuracy of their final judgment policies, the amount of reduction in members' disagreement, and the subjective ratings of members concerning their group's performance. Findings suggested that significantly greater individual learning and group consensus occurred as a result of the full exchange of cognitive feedback, although all conditions produced a marked reduction in disagreement among members. Overall task performance by all three sets of groups was at a level of achievement equivalent to the work of the second most proficient group member.

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