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Indirect influence and divergent thinking as a function of member status and task structure in small groups
Author(s) -
Goodman Jeffrey A.,
Alexander Michele G.,
Chizhik Alexander W.,
Chizhik Estella W.,
Eidelman Scott
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.713
Subject(s) - psychology , task (project management) , social psychology , group (periodic table) , group structure , function (biology) , group dynamic , chemistry , management , organic chemistry , evolutionary biology , economics , psychotherapist , biology
A laboratory experiment examined the effect of confederate status and task structure on group members' use of the confederate's problem solving strategies (private/indirect influence) and divergent thinking. Twenty‐eight three‐member, all‐female groups, with an experimental confederate acting as one of the group members, solved an open‐structured or closed‐structured logic problem. The confederate, randomly assigned to be higher‐, lower‐, or of undesignated‐status, presented a scripted but unique solution to the group while solving the task. Lower‐status confederates and open‐structured tasks, relative to higher‐status confederates and closed‐structured tasks, had more private, indirect influence on group members and caused more divergent thinking. We discuss the implications of these findings for group dynamics and social influence literatures. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.