A Physiological and Behavioral Approach to the Study of Group Interaction

Abstract

A behavioral and physiological technique has been developed for study of complex group interactions in a simplified laboratory setting. An experimental 3-person “guessing game” was devised in order to bring group behavior under manipulation by reinforcement techniques. Nine men and 15 women participated in one individual and five group situations. The number of initiations made by each subject and the basal level galvanic skin potential, sampled at 1-min. intervals, were recorded simultaneously throughout each 40-min. experimental period. A method was devised to relate physiological and behavioral responses over comparable time periods.