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Shared Information Bias

Wiki biases Shared information Bias

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34 views2 pages

Shared Information Bias

Wiki biases Shared information Bias

Uploaded by

isbro1788
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Shared information bias

Shared information bias is known as the tendency for group members to spend more time and ener
gy discussing information that all
members are already familiar with (i.e., shared information), and less time and energy discussing information that only some
members are aware of (i.e., unshared information).[1] Harmful consequences related to poor decision-making can arise when the
group does not have access to unshared information hidden
( profiles) in order to make a well-informed decision.[1][2]

Contents
Causes
Avoidance strategies
See also
References

Causes
Although discussing unshared information may be enlightening, groups are often motivated to discuss shared information in order to
reach group consensus on some course of action. According to Postmes, Spears, and Cihangir (2001), when group members are
motivated by a desire to reach closure (e.g., a desire imposed by time constraints), their bias for discussing shared information is
stronger. However, if members are concerned with making the best decision possible, this bias becomes less salient.[3] In support of
the observations by Postmes et al. (2001), Stewart and Stasser (1998) have asserted that the shared information bias is strongest for
group members working on ambiguous, judgment-oriented tasks because their goal is to reach consensual agreement than to
distinguish a correct solution.[4]

The shared information bias may also develop during group discussion in response to the interpersonal and psychological needs of
individual group members. For example, some group members tend to seek group support for their own personal opinions. This
psychological motivation to garner collective acceptance of one's own initial views has been linked to group preferences for shared
[5][6]
information during decision-making activities (Greitemeyer & Schulz-Hardt, 2003; Henningsen & Henningsen, 2003)

Lastly, the nature of the discussion between group members reflects whether biases for shared information will surface. According to
Wittenbaum et al., 2004), members are motivated to establish and maintain reputations, to secure tighter bonds, and to compete for
success against other group members.[7] As a result, individuals tend to be selective when disclosing information to other group
members.

Avoidance strategies
Several strategies can be employed to reduce group focus on discussing shared information:

Make effort to spend more time actively discussing collective decisions. Given that group members tend to discuss
shared information first,[8] longer meetings increase likelihood of reviewing unshared information as well.
Make effort to avoid generalized discussionsby increasing the diversity of opinions within the group (Smith, 2008).
Introduce the discussion of a new topic to avoid returning to previously discussed items among members (Reimer ,
Reimer, & Hinsz, 2010).[9]
Technology (e.g., group decision support systems, GDSS) can also offer group members a wayto catalog
information that must be discussed. These technological tools (e.g., search engines, databases, computer programs
that estimate risk) help facilitate communication between members while structuralizing the group's decision-making
process (Hollingshead, 2001).[10]
See also
Group decision-making

References
1. Forsyth, D. R. (2009). Group dynamics (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
2. Baked, D. F. (2010). Enhancing group decision making: An exercise to reduce shared information bias.Journal of
Management Education, 34, 249-279.
3. Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Cihangir, S. (2001). Quality of Decision Making and Group Nor
ms. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 80, 918-930.
4. Stewart, D. D., & Stasser, G. (1998). The sampling of critical, unshared information in decision-making groups: The
role of an informed minority. European Journal of Social Psychology , 28, 95-113.
5. Greitemeyer, T. & Schulz-Hardt, S. (2003). Preference-consistent evaluation of information
in the hidden profile
paradigm: Beyond group-level explanations for the dominance of shared information in group decisions. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 322-339.
6. Henningsen, D. D., & Henningsen, M. L. M. (2003). Examining social influence in information-sharing contexts.
Small
Group Research, 34, 391–412.
7. Wittenbaum, G. M., Hollingshead, A. B., Paulus, .PB., Hirokawa, R. Y., Ancona, D. G., Peterson, R. S., Jehn, K. A.,
& Yoon, K. (2004). The functional perspectiveas a lens for understanding groups.Small Group Research, 35, 17-43.
8. Winquist, J. R., & Larson, J. R., Jr. (1998). Information pooling: When it impacts group decision making.Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 371-377.
9. Reimer, T., Reimer, A., & Hinsz, V. B. (2010). Naive groups can solve the hidden-profile problem.Human
Communication Research, 36, 443-467.
10. Hollingshead, A. B. (2001). Cognitive interdependence and convergent expectations in transactive memory
. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 1080-1089.

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