Factors that May Affect the Difficulty of Uncovering Hidden Profiles

Abstract

Three experiments examined three factors that may impede the discovery of hidden profiles: commitment to initial decision, reiteration effect, and ownership bias. Experiment 1 examined whether groups in which members are not asked to make an initial decision before group discussion are more likely to uncover hidden profiles than groups in which members are asked to make an initial decision. Experiment 2 examined this commitment to an initial decision and also the repetition of information for individuals. Experiment 3 explored the reiteration effect in groups and examined whether information that is usually repeated more in groups is viewed as more truthful. Experiments 1 and 2 found no support for the commitment to initial decision hypothesis for uncovering hidden profiles. Experiment 2 found that repetition of `common'information significantly reduced individuals' ability to uncover hidden profiles. Experiment 3 found that information individuals owned (both common and unique) before discussion was rated as more valid than other information. Experiment 3 did not find that common information, which is generally repeated more, was rated as more valid than unique information. Limitations of the current studies and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Perceived Importance of Information: The Effects of Mentioning Information, Shared Information Bias, Ownership Bias, Reiteration, and Confirmation Bias

“…Chernyshenko et al (2003) make a distinction between unshared information that group members know before the group discussion (own unshared) and unshared information they learn from other group members during the course of discussion (other unshared). Van Swol et al (2003) found that participants had an ownership bias toward rating information they received before the group discussion (shared and own unshared) as more valid and familiar than information not received (other unshared). This ownership bias could contribute to the common information sampling bias because shared information is owned by all members, and therefore, more highly valued by all group members.…”

“…Other researchers have investigated processes at the individual level, examining why individuals assign greater importance to shared information than unshared information (Chernyshenko et al, 2003;Greitemeyer & Schulz-Hardt, 2003;Van Swol, Savadori, & Sniezek, 2003). Specifi cally, Van Swol et al (2003) examined how the ownership of information before the group discussion and the repetition of information can increase its importance to individuals.…”

“…Therefore, I hypothesize participants will have an ownership bias, and group members will rate information they learned before the group discussion (shared and own unshared) as more important than information only other group members knew (other unshared) before the discussion (Hypothesis 3). Van Swol et al (2003) examined how the repetition of shared information can prevent groups from uncovering hidden profi les. Research examining the bias for shared information in groups has often used a hidden profi le (Brodbeck, Kerschreiter, Mojzisch, Frey, & Schulz-Hardt, 2002;Dennis, 1996;Hollingshead, 1996a;Savadori et al, 2001;Stasser & Stewart, 1992;Stasser et al, 1995;Stasser & Titus, 1985).…”

“…Specifi cally, Van Swol et al (2003) examined how the ownership of information before the group discussion and the repetition of information can increase its importance to individuals. Greitemeyer and Schulz-Hardt (2003) examined how information supporting an individual's initial opinion is rated as more important.…”

Social validation in group decision-making: Differential effects on the decisional impact of preference-consistent and preference-inconsistent information

“…Note that there is substantial evidence showing that individuals judge information that they own before the discussion to be more valid and relevant than information encountered for the first time during discussion (e.g., Chernyshenko, Miner, Baumann, & Sniezek, 2003;Van Swol, Savadori, & Sniezek, 2003). What are the implications of this ownership bias for the impact of social validation?…”