Information versus conformity in the effects of group discussion on risk taking.

Abstract

To test whether the information that a more risky position is represented in a group will constitute a more powerful determinant of opinion change than conformity to majority views, 3-person groups were composed of either a conservative minority and risky majority (11 all-male and 8 all-female groups) or a conservative majority and risky minority (7 all-male and 10 all-female groups). Effects of group discussion on risk taking were assessed by measuring shifts from initial decisions to group consensus decisions and from initial decisions to postconsensus personal decisions for conservatives and for risk takers of both sexes under the 2 kinds of majority conditions. As predicted by the informational in contrast to the conformity interpretation, (a) conservatives showed strong and similar shifts toward greater risk taking as a result of discussion whether they constituted a minority or a majority of the group membership, (b) risk takers showed essentially no shift as a result of discussion whether they constituted a minority or a majority, and (c) these generalizations held for females and males. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)