SELECTED FACTORS IMPACTING DECISION-MAKING IN PREREFERRAL INTERVENTION AND OTHER SCHOOL-BASED TEAMS - EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGY

Many of the most important decisions and recommendations made by schoo l psychologists occur within the context of school-based teams. Despit e this, research and theory regarding group decision making has attrac ted little attention in the school psychology literature (Conoley & Gu tkin, 1995; Gutkin & Conoley, 1990). To begin addressing this problem, this paper reviews group-based social psychological work with both ex tensive empirical support and important pragmatic implications for sch ool psychology practitioners and researchers. Primary foci include the need for improved outcome criteria with which school psychologists ca n assess the quality of group decision making, the power of majorities in groups, the value of minority dissent, group polarization, and the establishment of shared norms, Although far from an exhaustive list, these social psychological phenomena exemplify the kinds of issues nee ding greater attention by school psychologists as they work with schoo l-based Learns. (C) 1997 Society for the Study of School Psychology.