Motivated cognition and group interaction: Need for closure affects the contents and processes of collective negotiations

Two studies investigated need for cognitive closure effects on group intera ction. In both, participants in four-person groups role-played the members of a corporate committee dividing a monetary reward among meritorious emplo yees. The entire interaction sequence was videotaped and content-analyzed b y independent observers. Study 1 investigated need for closure as both a di spositional and a situational variable (induced via time pressure). Bales' (1970) interaction process analysis (IPA) yielded that both forms of this n eed were positively related to the preponderance of task-oriented responses and negatively related to the preponderance of positive social-emotional a cts. Study 2 compared groups composed of members high on a dispositional ne ed for closure with those composed of members low on this need. In the disc ussions of high (vs low) need for closure groups, there were greater confor mity pressures and a less egalitarian participation. Need for closure thus appears to affect both the contents of member responses in a group context and the process whereby group interaction may unfold. (C) 1999 Academic Pre ss.