Cognitive Flexibility, Communication Strategy, and Integrative Complexity in Groups: Public versus Private Reactions to Majority and Minority Status

• Published in: Journal of experimental social psychology Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 202 - 226
• Main Authors: Gruenfeld, Deborah H, Thomas-Hunt, Melissa C, Kim, Peter H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01-03-1998; Elsevier; Academic Press
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cognition & reasoning; Communication; Differences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Minority & ethnic groups; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social psychology; Intellectual flexibility; Human; Social influence; Social interaction; Decision making; Intergroup relation; Verbal communication; Social cognition
• ISSN: 0022-1031; 1096-0465
• DOI: 10.1006/jesp.1997.1349

Archival studies of political decision-making groups show that the public statements of policy makers in the majority are higher in integrative complexity than those of minority-faction or unanimous group members. However, whether these differences reflect policy makers' private thoughts, or their public impression management strategies, cannot be inferred using only data from the public record. The experiment reported here established that in freely interacting groups composed of majorities and minorities, this pattern is obtained under private communication conditions as well as in public statements. Results suggest that cognitive flexibility in response to influence from insiders, rather than communication strategies designed to influence outsiders, underlies the differences observed.