Wize University Psychology Textbook > Social Psychology
Making Decisions in Groups
Popular Courses
Psychology
University Study Guides
PSYCH 1X03
McMaster University
PSYC 1000
University of Guelph
Psychology
University Study Guides
PSYC 100
McGill University
PSY100H1
University of Toronto
PSYCH 1003
Western University
PSYC 1010
York University
PSYC 201
University of Calgary
PSYC 200
Concordia University
PSYC 1004
Virginia Tech
PSYCH 100
Pennsylvania State University
PSC 001
University of California - Davis
PSY 101
Michigan State University
PSY 2012
University of Florida
PSYCH10
University of California - Los Angeles
PSY 101
San Diego State University
PSY 101
University of Arizona
PSC 001Y
University of California - Davis
PSYC 1001
University of Cincinnati
0:00 / 0:00
Making Decisions in Groups
Group decision-making is often more than the sum of its parts! Certain phenomena can occur that otherwise would not have if every group member had worked individually first.
Making decisions as a group can often have many benefits, such as increased diversity of viewpoints, more analytical power, and a more consensus-based approach for decisions that affect a large number of people
However, group decision-making can also include some negative side-effects!
Groupthink - when the desire to reach consensus or conformity causes dissenting or differing viewpoints to be suppressed, often leading to poor or irrational decisions being made
Steps can be taken to prevent groupthink from happening:
- include outside voices & encourage dissent and feedback
- prioritize making a correct decision, not a quick one
- ensure the group leader remains impartial
- divide into smaller subgroups that discuss different aspects of the issue
Group polarization - when the group reaches a position that is more extreme than any of the individual members believe in
Example: social media discourse becoming more extreme than the individual viewpoints of users