Who takes the lead in risky decision making? Effects of group members' risk preferences and prototypicality

In two experiments, we studied the effects of (a) the extent to which group members are risk seeking in comparison with others in the group and (b) gr oup member prototypicality (the extent to which individuals hold group-typi cal risk preferences) on the likelihood that group members will take the le ad in risky decision making, Participants were led to believe that they eng aged in a four-person group discussion and received bogus feedback about th eir own risk preferences, the risk preferences of the other group members, and the risk preferences of their group as a whole. In Experiment 2, we als o manipulated the framing of the decision problem (gain vs, loss frame), Re sults supported the hypotheses that (a) more risk seeking members are more likely to take the lead and (b) prototypical members are more likely to tak e the lead when the problem facing the group is ambiguous (i.e., when group risk preferences and decision framing are incongruent), whereas nonprototy pical members are more likely to take the lead when the problem facing the group is relatively clear-cut (i.e., when group risk preferences and decisi on framing are congruent). (C) 2000 Academic Press.