Examining Social Influence in Information-Sharing Contexts

Research on hidden profiles has found that groups tend to make decisions reflecting the information shared among group members prior to discussion. However, shared information is confounded with individual prediscussion preferences in hidden profile situations. In this article, the authors manipulate information distribution to examine hidden, ambiguous (i.e., prediscussion preferences favor no alternative), and clear (i.e., prediscussion preferences support the decision alternative favored by the total information) profiles. They examine the influence of profile type on group decisions, use of shared and unshared information, and perceptions of normative and informational influence. Results indicate that groups make superior decisions and rely more on unshared information in clear and ambiguous profiles than in hidden profiles. In addition, perceived social influence is most prevalent in ambiguous profiles.

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