PSYCH 176 Final

Question 1

Group creativity and decision making is a key to _____. It is analogous to ________ in individual creativity and decision making

Answer 1

good group decision making and harnessing value of diverse opinions

analogous to breadth of knowledge in individual creativity

Question 2

Why is averaging powerful?

Answer 2

statistical principle: the average of the individual estimates will be at least as accurate as the average individual performance

deviation from truth(error) = systematic bias +random error

as bracketing increases, so does power of averaging. (EX: 2 unbiased, uncorrelated judges will have 50% bracketing rate)

Question 3

People tend to underestimate the value of ______ and instead “Chase the expert”

Answer 3

averaging

it is rare that the individual will consistently outperform the group

Question 4

If judgements are not made independently, they _____-

Answer 4

converge

this greatly reduces the benefits of combining individual judgements

Question 5

Asch Experiment (1951)

Answer 5

Brought you into a room with other people
-you perform a visual perception task: Judge line lengths – which one is the most similar to the test line

• having just 1 other subject in the experiment drastically reduces conformity
• 3 stooges results in more conformity than 8 stooges plus one other subject
• with 2 stooges and 16 subjects, stooges get laughed at
• the less clear the correct answer is, the more conformity

Question 6

4 Primary Themes of the Class

Answer 6

1. Being creative is risky
2. immediate focus on small number of alternatives
3. The role of knowledge
4. Accessing knowledge

Question 7

What can affect group influence

Answer 7

• degree of cohesion
• attraction to group and current level of cohesion may affect willingness to contradict others
• strong attraction coupled with low cohesion is the problem
• confidence in acceptance by group is a critical variable