Communication Control and Leadership in Telecommunications by Small Groups.
Abstract
This experiment examined the effect of communication control on the telecommunications of four-subject problem solving groups, and on the emergence of leaders within the groups. Sixteen four-subject teams solved four realistic problems, one on each of four days, by communicating over a closed-circuit television system with an added audio capacity. Teams were assigned to communication systems which either did or did not have centrally controlled switching so that only one person could talk at a time, and to systems in which either (1) one subject was appointed to perform some of the experimenter's tasks or (2) no group member was so designated. Four degrees of control over communication thus ranged from no control (communication was not centrally switched, no appointed helper) to absolute control (appointed helper who switched the communication). The subject who switched the communication and/or helped the experimenter was chosen at random by the experimenter prior to the start of the first experimental session and remained the same throughout the remaining sessions. Teams were paid a bonus of up to $2.60 for each problem solution. The size of a team's bonus depended on how well the team solved each problem as determined by comparing their solutions with criterion solutions. Dependent measures include the time to solution, a measure of the quality of solution based on the size of the bonus, measures of verbal communication, and questionnaire responses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA086746
Entities
People
- Peter D. Pagerey
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University