Collective Versus Individual Induction Recognition of Truth, Rejection of Error, and Collective Information Processing

• Published in: Journal of personality and social psychology Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 50 - 67
• Main Authors: Laughlin, Patrick R, VanderStoep, Scott W, Hollingshead, Andrea B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-07-1991
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive Processes; Errors; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Group Performance; Human; Individuals; Induction; Inductive Deductive Reasoning; Information; Information processing; Interpersonal communication; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social psychology; Social research; Truth; Human; Social group; Induction; Social interaction; Information processing; Problem solving; Cognition; Performance
• ISSN: 0022-3514; 1939-1315
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.61.1.50

Four-person groups and 4 independent individuals solved rule induction problems under 4 levels of potential information. Groups performed at the level of the 2nd-best individuals for correct hypotheses (recognition of truth) and at the level of the best individuals for nonplausible hypotheses (rejection of error). Groups, the best individuals, and the 2nd-best individuals performed better with increasing potential information, but the 3rd-best and 4th-best individuals did not. Competitive tests of social combination models indicated that the groups resolved the increasing disagreement with increasing potential information by decreasing voting, increasing turn taking, and increasing their proportions of emergent group hypotheses (very few of which were correct). Experiment 2 used 5 arrays of hypotheses and evidence and allowed more time. Groups performed at the level of the best individuals for both correct and nonplausible hypotheses.