Ge. Littlepage et al., AN INPUT-PROCESS-OUTPUT ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCE AND PERFORMANCE IN PROBLEM-SOLVING GROUPS, Journal of personality and social psychology, 69(5), 1995, pp. 877-889
Member characteristics and social processes that determine influence i
n problem-solving groups were examined. University students completed
a non-eureka intellective task-the Desert Survival Situation-both indi
vidually and in small groups. LEVEL-adjusted correlations and EQS stru
ctural modeling revealed that the extent of talking was predicted by d
ominance and confidence, but not actual expertise. Perceived expertise
was most closely predicted by the extent of talking. Perceived expert
ise mediated the relation between talking and influence. Groups attemp
ted to base decisions on expertise, but were not proficient at recogni
zing expertise. Additional analyses, which examined the impact of 8 in
fluence tactics, indicated that the tactics of reason and autocracy pr
edicted perceived expertise. Group performance was related to level of
member expertise and recognition of expertise.