Group Processes: Dynamics Within and Between Groups.

Design communities in engineering and other disciplines have a practical reason for caring about group creativity. People employed in these areas have to generate creative solutions routinely, and they often must do so in a group. As a result, research in these areas has focused on processes to improve group creativity. This chapter explores techniques for generating problem statements and solutions in groups that have emerged from this literature. It also examines computer-based methods of problem solving that groups can use to enhance the ideas that arise from these group processes. This work has expanded the range of elements explored in studies of group creativity. Although theoretical studies of creativity can be useful in uncovering underlying mental processes, design development requires useful end products. The focus of this research on techniques that enhance creativity in design provides an opportunity to link this literature with the broader literature on individual and group creativity.

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COVID-19 conspiracy theories

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ◽

10.1177/1368430220982068 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 270-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karen M. Douglas

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Opinion ◽

Intergroup Relations ◽

Group Processes ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Conspiracy Theories ◽

Open Questions ◽

Potential Impact

Conspiracy theories started to appear on social media immediately after the first news about COVID-19. Is the virus a hoax? Is it a bioweapon designed in a Chinese laboratory? These conspiracy theories typically have an intergroup flavour, blaming one group for having some involvement in either manufacturing the virus or controlling public opinion about it. In this article, I will discuss why people are attracted to conspiracy theories in general, and why conspiracy theories seem to have flourished during the pandemic. I will discuss what the consequences of these conspiracy theories are for individuals, groups, and societies. I will then discuss some potential strategies for addressing the negative consequences of conspiracy theories. Finally, I will consider some open questions for research regarding COVID-19 conspiracy theories, in particular focusing on the potential impact of these conspiracy theories for group processes and intergroup relations.

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Group decisions based on confidence weighted majority voting

Cognitive Research Principles and Implications ◽

10.1186/s41235-021-00279-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sascha Meyen ◽

Dorothee M. B. Sigg ◽

Ulrike von Luxburg ◽

Volker H. Franz

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Modeling ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Group Processes ◽

Majority Voting ◽

Group Decisions ◽

Optimal Method ◽

Weighted Majority ◽

Real Group ◽

Lower Accuracy ◽

Weighted Majority Voting

Abstract Background It has repeatedly been reported that, when making decisions under uncertainty, groups outperform individuals. Real groups are often replaced by simulated groups: Instead of performing an actual group discussion, individual responses are aggregated by a numerical computation. While studies have typically used unweighted majority voting (MV) for this aggregation, the theoretically optimal method is confidence weighted majority voting (CWMV)—if independent and accurate confidence ratings from the individual group members are available. To determine which simulations (MV vs. CWMV) reflect real group processes better, we applied formal cognitive modeling and compared simulated group responses to real group responses. Results Simulated group decisions based on CWMV matched the accuracy of real group decisions, while simulated group decisions based on MV showed lower accuracy. CWMV predicted the confidence that groups put into their group decisions well. However, real groups treated individual votes to some extent more equally weighted than suggested by CWMV. Additionally, real groups tend to put lower confidence into their decisions compared to CWMV simulations. Conclusion Our results highlight the importance of taking individual confidences into account when simulating group decisions: We found that real groups can aggregate individual confidences in a way that matches statistical aggregations given by CWMV to some extent. This implies that research using simulated group decisions should use CWMV instead of MV as a benchmark to compare real groups to.

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The contribution of political skill to the implementation of health services change: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06272-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jenelle M. Clarke ◽

Justin Waring ◽

Simon Bishop ◽

Jean Hartley ◽

Mark Exworthy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leadership Development ◽

Health Services ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Political Skill ◽

Group Processes ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Narrative Synthesis ◽

Five Dimensions ◽

Individual Level ◽

Health System Change

Abstract Background The implementation of strategic health system change is often complicated by informal ‘politics’ in healthcare organisations. Leadership development programmes increasingly call for the development and use of ‘political skill’ as a means for understanding and managing the politics of healthcare organisations. The primary purpose of this review is to determine how political skill contributes to the implementation of health services change, within and across organisations. The secondary purpose is to demonstrate the conceptual variations within the literature. Methods The article is based upon a narrative synthesis that included quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research papers, review articles and professional commentaries that deployed the concept of political skill (or associated terms) to describe and analyse the implementation of change in healthcare services. Results Sixty-two papers were included for review drawn from over four decades of empirically and conceptually diverse research. The literature is comprised of four distinct literatures with a lack of conceptual coherence. Within and across these domains, political skill is described as influencing health services change through five dimensions of leadership: personal performance; contextual awareness; inter-personal influence; stakeholder engagement, networks and alliances; and influence on policy processes. Conclusion There is a growing body of evidence showing how political skill can contribute to the implementation of health services change, but the evidence on explanatory processes is weak. Moreover, the conceptualisation of political skill is variable making comparative analysis difficult, with research often favouring individual-level psychological and behavioural properties over more social or group processes.

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A group processes approach to antiscience beliefs and endorsement of “alternative facts”

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ◽

10.1177/13684302211009708 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 513-517

Author(s):

Bastiaan T. Rutjens ◽

Sander van der Linden ◽

Romy van der Lee ◽

Natalia Zarzeczna

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Biases ◽

Group Processes ◽

Well Being ◽

Future Research ◽

Special Issue ◽

Psychological Study ◽

Alternative Facts ◽

Intragroup Processes ◽

Group Identities

The global spread of antiscience beliefs, misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories is posing a threat to the well-being of individuals and societies worldwide. Accordingly, research on why people increasingly doubt science and endorse “alternative facts” is flourishing. Much of this work has focused on identifying cognitive biases and individual differences. Importantly, however, the reasons that lead people to question mainstream scientific findings and share misinformation are also inherently tied to social processes that emerge out of divisive commitments to group identities and worldviews. In this special issue, we focus on the important and thus far neglected role of group processes in motivating science skepticism. The articles that feature in this special issue cover three core areas: the group-based roots of antiscience attitudes; the intergroup dynamics between science and conspiratorial thinking; and finally, insights about science denial related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across all articles, we highlight the role of worldviews, identities, norms, religion, and other inter- and intragroup processes that shape antiscientific attitudes. We hope that this collection will inspire future research endeavors that take a group processes approach to the social psychological study of science skepticism.

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