This Article Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ohtsubo, Y. Articles by Masuchi, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Effects of Status Difference and Group Size in Group Decision Making

Nara University

Ayumi Masuchi

Hokkai Gakuen University

The purpose of this study was to empirically test the finding of Ohtsubo, Fujita, and Kameda’s (in press) thought experiment regarding the relation between the high status member’s influence and the number of low status members in the decision-making groups. Against intuition, the thought experiment showed that increasing low status memberswould not necessarily undermine the high status member’s influence. This study had three-,four-, and five-person groups engage in group decision-making tasks while manipulatingstatus difference by bogus feedback about task-relevant ability. Results showed that the high status members’ overall influence increased when the number of low status membersincreased from three to four. The Social Decision Scheme Model analyses, however,suggested that the observed aggretation process was different from the one assumed inthe thought experiment.

Key Words: group decision making • group size • social decision scheme model • status difference

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?