Majority‐minority influence: identifying argumentative patterns and predicting argument‐outcome links

In this paper, the authors investigate the argument activities of majority and minority factions in small group decision-making situations. We begin by identifying patterns of argument that characterize majority and minority communication in 34 discussions and then test several subgroup-outcome and argument-outcome links. Results indicate that winning and losing subgroups argue differently (as do minority and majority subgroups overall) and that consistency in argument is a strong predictor of subgroup success. Both theoretical and practical implications for subgroup influence in group decision making accrue from these findings.

[1]  Dale E. Brashers,et al.  Argument in group decision making: Explicating a process model and investigating the argument‐outcome link , 1998 .

[2]  S. Jackson,et al.  Structure of conversational argument: Pragmatic bases for the enthymeme , 1980 .

[3]  Majority Influence on Group Choices Among Bets. , 1976 .

[4]  Robin Martin,et al.  Minority influence and argument generation , 1996 .

[5]  S. Toulmin.  The uses of argument , 1960 .

[6]  R. Saavedra,et al.  A naturalistic minority influence experiment: Effects on divergent thinking, conflict and originality in work‐groups , 1996 .

[7]  C. Dreu,et al.  Numerical support, information processing and attitude change , 1993 .

[8]  Robert D. McPhee.  Response to Hoffman and Kleinman , 1994 .

[9]  Paul A. Mongeau,et al.  Argument quality and group member status as determinants of attitudinal minority influence , 1993 .

[10]  C. Nemeth,et al.  Originality of word associations as a function of majority vs. minority influence. , 1985 .

[11]  Richard E. Petty,et al.  Majority and minority influence : source-position imbalance as a determinant of message scrutiny , 1994 .

[12]  Jeffrey W. Sherman,et al.  Exposure to dissent and recall of information. , 1990 .

[13]  Harry Weger,et al.  Couples' argument sequences and their associations with relational characteristics , 1991 .

[14]  Lawrence R. Frey,et al.  Effects of reactions to arguments on group outcome: The case of group polarization , 1983 .

[15]  Anne Maass,et al.  The effects of majority size on minority influence , 1990 .

[16]  J. Fleiss.  Statistical methods for rates and proportions , 1974 .

[17]  J. H. Davis,et al.  Asymmetrical Social Influence in Freely Interacting Groups: A Test of Three Models , 1990 .

[18]  Robert M. Bray,et al.  Social influence by group members with minority opinions: A comparison of Hollander and Moscovici. , 1982 .

[19]  A. Kellerman,et al.  The Constitution of Society : Outline of the Theory of Structuration , 2015 .

[20]  S. Chaiken,et al.  Audience response as a heuristic cue in persuasion. , 1987, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[21]  John D. Hatfield,et al.  The Comparative Utility of Three Types of Behavioral Units for Interaction Analysis. , 1978 .

[22]  John M. Levine,et al.  Impact of Anticipated Interaction on Information Acquisition , 1995 .

[23]  B. Latané,et al.  The Social Impact of Majorities and Minorities. , 1981 .

[24]  C. Nemeth,et al.  Social Psychology. Classic and contemporary integrations. , 1974 .

[25]  Klaus Krippendorff,et al.  Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology , 1980 .

[26]  S. Moscovici,et al.  Social Influence And Social Change , 1976 .

[27]  Daniel J. Canary,et al.  An observational analysis of argument structures: The case of Nightline , 1990 .

[28]  Paolo Legrenzi,et al.  Majority and minority influence in inductive reasoning: A preliminary study , 1991 .

[29]  Serge Moscovici,et al.  Studies in social influence: V. Minority influence and conversion behavior in a perceptual task , 1980 .

[30]  M. Wallach,et al.  Risk Taking: A Study in Cognition and Personality , 1965 .

[31]  John D. Rogers,et al.  Dissent and the search for information. , 1996 .

[32]  W. Wood,et al.  Minority influence: a meta-analytic review of social influence processes. , 1994, Psychological bulletin.

[33]  Harry Weger,et al.  Toward a Theory of Minimally Rational Argument: Analyses of Episode-Specific Effects of Argument Structures. , 1995 .

[34]  S. Moscovici,et al.  Influence of a consistent minority on the responses of a majority in a color perception task. , 1969, Sociometry.

[35]  B. Latané.  Dynamic Social Impact: The Creation of Culture by Communication. , 1996 .

[36]  David R. Seibold,et al.  Argument structures in decision‐making groups , 1987 .

[37]  C. Nemeth,et al.  Minority Influence, Divergent Thinking and Detection of Correct Solutions , 1987 .

[38]  Michaela Koller.  The low robustness of the gain effect of interpersonal attraction: Some empirical and theoretical considerations , 1991 .

[39]  E. V. Avermaet,et al.  Majority influence, minority influence and conversion behavior: A replication , 1980 .

[40]  David R. Seibold,et al.  Argument in initial group decision‐making discussions: Refinement of a coding scheme and a descriptive quantitative analysis , 1991 .

[41]  G. Mugny,et al.  Intergroup relations, identification and social influence , 1984 .

[42]  C. Nemeth,et al.  Creative problem solving as a result of majority vs minority influence , 1983 .

[43]  A. Maass,et al.  Conversion theory and simultaneous majority/minority influence: Can reactance offer an alternative explanation? , 1986 .

[44]  Gabriel Mugny,et al.  The Social Psychology of Minority Influence , 1991 .

[45]  J. Levine,et al.  Anticipated interaction and thought generation : The role of faction size , 1996 .

[46]  G. Moskowitz.  The mediational effects of attributions and information processing in minority social influence , 1996 .

[47]  C. Nemeth,et al.  CREATING THE PERCEPTIONS OF CONSISTENCY AND CONFIDENCE. A NECESSARY CONDITION FOR MINORITY INFLUENCE , 1974 .

[48]  Robin Martin.  Minority influence and social categorization: A replication , 1988 .

[49]  Dale E. Brashers,et al.  Sex differences and group argument: A theoretical framework and empirical investigation , 1997 .

[50]  G. Mugny,et al.  Synchronic consistency and psychologization in minority influence , 1990 .

[51]  Paul A. Mongeau,et al.  Majority/minority size and the evaluations of persuasive arguments , 1992 .

[52]  W. Crano,et al.  Context/Categorization Model of Social Influence: Minority and Majority Influence in the Formation of a Novel Response Norm , 1994 .

[53]  Michael J. Strube,et al.  A meta-analytic investigation of Fiedler's contingency model of leadership effectiveness. , 1981 .

[54]  M. Hewstone,et al.  Minority influence and musical preference: Innovation by conversion not coercion , 1984 .

[55]  Kathleen Mosier,et al.  When Convergent Thought Improves Performance: Majority Versus Minority Influence , 1992 .

[56]  Randall S. Peterson,et al.  Focus Versus Flexibility Majority and Minority Influence Can Both Improve Performance , 1996 .

[57]  Carol Sherrard,et al.  The power of minorities , 1982 .

[58]  C. Dreu,et al.  Differential processing and attitude change following majority versus minority arguments , 1996 .

[59]  David R. Seibold,et al.  Communication and influence in group decision making. , 1996 .

[60]  F. Auld,et al.  Rules for Dividing Interviews Into Sentences , 1956 .

[61]  Diane M. Mackie,et al.  Systematic and nonsystematic processing of majority and minority persuasive communications. , 1987 .

[62]  J. H. Davis.  Group decision and social interaction: A theory of social decision schemes. , 1973 .

[63]  R. D. Clark.  Minority influence: The role of argument refutation of the majority position and social support for the minority position , 1990 .

[64]  A. Maass,et al.  Social influence: The role of originality. , 1991 .

[65]  R. Scott Tindale,et al.  Minority and majority influence in freely interacting groups: Qualitative versus quantitative differences , 1996 .

[66]  C. Nemeth.  Differential contributions of majority and minority influence , 1986 .

[67]  Steven D. Penrod,et al.  Social Influence Model: A formal integration of research on majority and minority influence processes. , 1984 .

[68]  M. Trost,et al.  Minority influence: Personal relevance biases cognitive processes and reverses private acceptance , 1992 .

[69]  Chiara Volpato,et al.  Minority influence and social categorization , 1990 .

[70]  W. Crano,et al.  Cognitive responses to minority‐ or majority‐based communications: Factors that underlie minority influence , 1996 .

[71]  Anne Maass,et al.  Internalization versus compliance: Differential processes underlying minority influence and conformity , 1983 .

[72]  Anne Maass,et al.  Hidden impact of minorities: Fifteen years of minority influence research. , 1984 .

[73]  N. Ellemers,et al.  Indirect majority and minority influence: An exploratory study , 1991 .

[74]  Rick Garlick.  Single, double, and triple minorities and the evaluations of persuasive arguments , 1993 .

[75]  Edward J. Murray,et al.  A content-analysis method for studying psychotherapy. , 1956 .

[76]  Robin Martin.  Ingroup and outgroup minorities:differential impact upon public and private responses , 1988 .

[77]  Renee A. Meyers,et al.  Subgroup Influence in Decision-Making Groups , 1995 .

[78]  J. Arbuthnot,et al.  Minority Influence: Effects of Size, Conversion, and Sex. , 1982 .

[79]  Charles A. Kiesler,et al.  Minority influence: The effect of majority reactionaries and defectors, and minority and majority compromisers, upon majority opinion and attraction , 1975 .

[80]  Serge Moscovici,et al.  Studies in social influence III: Majority versus minority influence in a group , 1976 .