Discussion and decision: The interrelationship between initial preference distribution and group discussion content

Data from an earlier published study were used to test the social decision scheme (SDS) proposition that initial distribution of preferences within a group influences the nature of subsequent discussion. Four-person groups co nfronted with a three-option decision task began discussion with an initial plurality, majority, or unanimity. We found that the prediscussion distrib ution of preferences was predictive of eventual group choice; plurality gro ups introduced the greatest number of facts, followed by majority, and then unanimity; minute-by-minute patterns of discussion were very different acr oss the three initial distributions; dominant factions contributed the most to discussion; and under initial plurality, one minority preference was di scussed significantly more heavily than the other. Discussion focuses on th e possible role of preference orders in group decision-making processes and on possible explanations for why groups with different intitial preference distributions show different discussion patterns across time, (C) 1999 Aca demic Press.