Abstract
An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of attribution of responsibility for a negative event to one member of a group upon the effectiveness of that group. Three experimental conditions were studied: (1) AR + S-members of the group were made aware that one of them had been accused of passing bad checks and had been sanctioned (given a suspended sentence) for it; (2) AR only-members of the group were made aware that one of them had been accused of the negative event (passing bad checks) but was not sanctioned for it (charges were dropped); and (3) control-no information about the negative event. Each group solved three problems. The results showed that the AR + S condition required the longest time for task completion, the AR-only condition required an intermediate amount of time, and the control condition required the least amount of time for task completion. These findings were interpreted in terms of member acceptance/rejection: the accused member was not fully accepted into the group, and this rejection interfered with effective group interaction.
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This research was supported by NSF Grant 1948. Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government.
The authors wish to thank Allan Lind, Jr., and Sanford Garner for their assistance in carrying out this research.
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Shaw, M.E., Breedt, G.R. Some effects of attribution of responsibility upon the effectiveness of small problem-solving groups. Psychon Sci 22, 207–209 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332571
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332571