Elsevier

Intelligence

Volume 12, Issue 4, October–December 1988, Pages 351-377
Intelligence

Group intelligence: Why some groups are better than others

https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-2896(88)90002-5Get rights and content

Abstract

We investigated how subjects performed alone and in groups on two written problems. We evaluated the relationship between cognitive and social-cognitive characteristics of group members—estimated both through written tests and videotape ratings—and group performance. We found that group products were of significantly higher quality than individual products. We also found that both cognitive and social-cognitive characteristics were related to group performance, and that videotape-derived estimates of these characteristics predicted group performance about as well as written measures. We present a method for conceptualizing and modeling group performance, and describe why we believe an integrative, multi-variable approach permits a richer understanding of group interaction.

References (42)

  • J.R. Hackman

    Effects of task characteristics on group products

    Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

    (1968)
  • I.D. Steiner

    Whatever happened to the group in social psychology?

    Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

    (1974)
  • R.F. Bales

    A set of categories for the analysis of small group interaction

    American Sociological Review

    (1950)
  • R.F. Bales

    Interaction process analysis: A method for the study of small groups

    (1950)
  • R.F. Bales

    The equilibrium problem in small groups

  • R.F. Bales et al.

    Role differentiation

  • R.F. Bales et al.

    Phases in group problem solving

    Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology

    (1951)
  • M.L. Barnes et al.

    Sex differences in the interpersonal behavior of married couples

    Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

    (1985)
  • R.M. Belbin

    Management teams: Why they succeed or fail

    (1981)
  • T.J. Bouchard

    Personality, problem-solving procedure, and performance in small groups

    Journal of Applied Psychology

    (1969)
  • D.M. Buss

    Marital assortment for personality dispositions: Assessment with three differentdata sources

    Behavior Genetics

    (1984)
  • J. Cohen

    Some statistical issues in psychological research

  • J. Cohen

    Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences

  • B.E. Collins et al.

    A social psychology of group processes for decision making

    (1964)
  • H.J. Eysenck et al.

    The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

    (1975)
  • A. Fenigstein et al.

    Public and private self-consciousness: Assessment and theory

    Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

    (1975)
  • M.E. Ford

    Social cognition and social competence in adolescence

    Developmental Psychology

    (1982)
  • B.F. Green et al.

    Complex analyses of variance: General problems

    Psychometrika

    (1960)
  • J.R. Hackman

    Group influences on individuals

  • J.R. Hackman

    The design of self-managing work groups

  • J.R. Hackman

    A normative model of work team effectiveness

  • Cited by (102)

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    1

    We are grateful to Michael Barnes, Robert Crowder, and Edward Zigler for their valuable assistance throughout the course of this project. Preparation of this article was supported in part by contracts from the Army Research Institute.

    View full text