A primer of social decision scheme theory: Models of group influence, competitive model-testing, and prospective modeling

The basic elements of social decision scheme (SDS) theory are individual pr eferences, group preference compositions (distinguishable distributions), p atterns of group influence (decision schemes, social combination rules), an d collective responses (group decisions, judgments, solutions, and the like ). The theory provides a framework for addressing two fundamental questions in the study of group performance: How are individual resources combined t o yield a group response (the individual-into-group problem)? What are the implications of empirical observations under one set of circumstances for o ther conditions where data do not exist (the sparse data problem)? Several prescriptions for how to conduct fruitful group research are contained in t he SDS tradition: make precise theoretical statements, provide strong and c ompetitive tests of theories, and interpret empirical findings in the conte xt of robust process models. (C) 1999 Academic Press.