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This study examines discursive style exhibited in public issue discussion groups and its impact on perceived learning and respect. Specifically, we examined powerful style, measured by the level of several linguistic markers associated with social influence, across sex, income, and education in 23 public discussions. We found that men and those with higher socioeconomic status displayed high-power style in a group discussion. Furthermore, high-power speakers were less likely to report having gained new insights from the discussions. We consider the implications of these findings and call for more research to better understand how powerful style is used in public discussions and to what effect. KEYWORDS Public discussion; discursive style; powerful style; perceived learning; mutual respect, Introduction Previous research in small-group settings indicates a correlation between status and communication, with social inequalities often reproducing themselves in discussion groups. Most clearly, women, racial minorities, and those of [...]

No single word in the English language fully reflects the polysemy of the Greek term agon, which denotes the entire gamut of struggles from combat to athletic contests. Antagonism, then, [...]

Abstract: In Christian higher education, most teaching and learning has been confined to the traditional classroom. However, with the advent of computer technology many universities and seminaries are offering online [...]

Cass Sunstein details intrinsic flaws in group discussion, even in ideal deliberation, and draws attention to prediction markets and information-aggregation devices on the internet as supplements to discussion. I respond that the supposed flaws do not affect ideal deliberation, and that the evaluation of group discussion is too pessimistic: there are alternative hypotheses to account for his findings, and there are doubts about their external validity. Also, I contend that his evaluation of prediction markets and internet devices is too optimistic. The markets have failed miserably, and the internet is vulnerable to astroturfing by the powerful and wealthy. Keywords: discussion; deliberation; prediction markets; information aggregation; power., Introduction The deliberative approach reigns in democratic theory. Yet, the institutional recommendations of deliberative democracy do not go far beyond the injunction to increase group discussion, in its sites, in [...]

Abstract This article explores the incorporation of a public dialogue series (PDS) as a service-learning component in a small group communication class. During a PDS, community members join small dialogue [...]

Research on the Information Sampling Model (ISM) revealed that information items that are known to all group members at the outset (shared information) are more likely to be mentioned during discussion than information items that are only known to individual members (unshared information) (Stasser & Titus, 1985; Wittenbaum, Hollingshead, & Botero, 2004). In prior studies involving the ISM, groups typically functioned in a very specific information environment: All information items were provided in form of unique cues, which described only one of the choice alternatives among which the groups had to choose. Because this specific information environment may impact group discussions and decisions, we included an experimental condition incorporating common cues. In contrast to unique cues, common cues provide information on each and every choice option. As expected, groups in the common-cue condition showed a weaker sampling advantage for shared information, and chose the hidden-profile alternative more often than groups in the classic unique-cue condition. Keywords: Group Decision Making; Communication; Information-Sampling Model; Information Sharing; Cue-Based Decision Strategy; Alternative-Based Decision Strategy; Group Performance; Unique and Common Cues; Group Discussion; Hidden Profile; Decision Strategies

A resource dilemma is a circumstance in which an aggregate of people share a slowly replenishing resource pool out of which each person can harvest a significant amount. Resource dilemmas normally make salient an allocation norm of equality in harvests among aggregate members. When asymmetry among aggregate members exists in terms of either access to the resource pool or reward for harvest, the equity allocation norm becomes equally relevant. In this study, groups experienced an experimental simulation of a resource dilemma under either symmetric, asymmetric harvest limit, or asymmetric reward conditions. Groups in the asymmetric conditions were more likely to choose explicitly to follow an allocation norm, and groups that chose to follow a norm had a far more task-oriented discussion and positive perceptions of their experience than groups that did not make an explicit choice. Neither experimental condition nor explicit norm choice revealed a discernible impact on harvesting. Keywords: small group discussion; resource dilemma; asymmetry; social norm

THE FOLLOWING DIALOGUUE grew out of conversations we had about current methodologies in Renaissance studies. Our initial discussions explored the intersection between psychoanalysis and historicism. From those, specific questions emerged [...]

The use of cognitive mapping techniques for policy analysis in UK Home Office Prison Department is reported. The analysis makes use of the specially designed computer software, Decision Explorer and suggests general implications for the way in which policy analysis is conducted.

This paper discusses differences in the ways that primary school boys and girls make use of the linguistic space in teacher-facilitated, small-group literature discussions. Data from videotapes of literature discussions and interviews with teachers and students is used to explore the notion that boys are less inclined than girls to engage in talk as a means of exploring their ideas. The findings of this study reveal the interconnectedness of the sociocultural capital the boys possess, their acquired discussion skills, and the enabling talk strategies adopted by teachers., Introduction This paper explores differences in the way that boys and girls use the linguistic space in the context of small-group literature discussions. The research builds on our interest in [...]

This paper creates a framework for classifying and analyzing 'nodes of discussion' (short statements referred to as developments, issues or topics) as they relate to technological development. 'Leitbild' (a German word meaning something like 'a guided image') and 'technological generalization' are key concepts in this analysis.

Byline: Brian Whitworth (1), Brent Gallupe (2), Robert McQueen (3) Keywords: CMC; CSCW; conformity; GSS; group agreement; groupware; social identity; social influence Abstract: Current theories imply text-based computer networks are socially barren, but computer-mediated interaction (CMI) research contradicts this. A cognitive perspective suggests individuals in groups construct cognitions regarding the task (purpose), other people (relationships), and the group (identity), and these drive the interaction. Three core psychological process follow: resolving task information, relating to others and representing the group. This gives three types of influence: informational, personal and normative, and three group purposes: task resolution, interpersonal relationships and group unity. Group unity occurs when group members represent a common identity. The traditional communication threads of message content and sender context therefore require a third - behavioural position. Many-to-many exchange of member positions allows the group position to be transmitted to the group. A picture emerges of three parallel processes overlapping in behaviour, although CMI allows them to be isolated and investigated. This model extends most theories of computer-mediated group interaction. It implies there is no 'best' type of group interaction support, because there is no best process. The groupware challenge is to offer the flexibility to support all three processes in combination. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Computer Information Systems, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA (2) School of Business, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (3) Department of Management Systems, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand Article History: Registration Date: 09/10/2004

Byline: Reza Barkhi (1), Varghese S. /fnms&gt Jacob (2), Hasan Pirkul (2) Keywords: GDSS; efficient frontier; computer mediated communication; group leader; information richness Abstract: Experimental research on Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) has generally focused on democratic groups whose members typically share the same objectives. In organizations, however, there are many situations where groups have a leader who has the power to override the group's recommendation, the objective of the leader may not be the same as the objective of each member, and not everyone may have the same information. This paper reports the results of an experiment in which the groups, having a designated leader, worked on a mixed-motive task. Within this context, we analyze group decision outcomes and processes for groups that use a face-to-face channel of cormnunication and those that utilize computer mediated communication. We compare performance of the leader and members with respect to an objective measure of performance, the efficient frontier. The results indicate that for this task groups using face-to-face channel outperform groups using computer mediated communication. Author Affiliation: (1) Pamplin College of Business, Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 3102 Pamplin Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0101, USA (2) School of Management, University of Texas-Dallas, P.O. Box 830688 Jo44, Richardson, TX, 75083-0688, USA Article History: Registration Date: 02/10/2004

Face-to-face discussion has been shown to increase cooperative behavior in social dilemmas. Two general explanations of this effect were tested: group identity (concern for fellow group members' outcomes) and perception of consensus (degree of agreement perceived among group members on how to respond to the dilemma). Undergraduate students participated in four-person groups in one of four experimental conditions. The four conditions differed in common fate (interdependent outcome in a lottery), face-to-face discussion of the dilemma, discussion of an important (irrelevant) issue, and no discussion (control). Results indicate that (a) the common fate manipulation neither aroused group identity nor enhanced cooperation, (b) group identity may not be sufficient to elicit cooperation in a social dilemma, and (c) the most plausible explanation of group discussion effects is members' perceived consensus to cooperate.

The theory-perseverance bias was investigated in 3 related studies. In Study 1, a test of the hypothesis that group discussion attenuates this bias, male and female Canadian undergraduates examined information suggesting that either a positive or a negative relationship exists between risk preference and firefighting performance; they were then informed that this information was fictitious. They then recorded their beliefs regarding the actual relationship between these variables (a) immediately, (b) after 7 min of thought, (c) after a 7-min group discussion, or (d) after perusing a transcript of one of the discussions. Only the participants in the first condition made biased judgments. Study 2, which used Vinokur and Burnstein's (1974) procedures and which again drew a sample of Canadian students, provided support for a persuasive-arguments explanation of this group-discussion effect. The results of Study 3, which used procedures similar to those of Study 1, ruled out a social-comparison explanation for this effect. Factors that might enhance or diminish the effects of group discussion on this bias are suggested., In making social judgments and decisions, people frequently rely on informal social theories (beliefs concerning the causal relationships between social variables). Anderson, Lepper, and Ross (1980) demonstrated that people cling [...]

THE POINTS OF BREAKDOWN in group discussions are many and varied. Much of the time they coincide with the failure of participants to understand each other. Sometimes they occur when […]

Introduction Classroom discourse has been recognized as important to the educational experience of students. 'Speech makes available to reflection the processes by which they [students] relate new knowledge to old. [...]

'Ought' and Ability, PETER A. GRAHAM A principle that many have found attractive is one that goes by the name of, ''Ought' Implies 'Can.'' According to this principle, one morally [...]

The Conditionals of Deliberation, KEITH DEROSE Practical deliberation often involves conditional judgments about what will (likely) happen if certain alternatives are pursued. It is widely assumed that the conditionals useful [...]

Two separate studies were conducted to analyze the significance of group discussions in influencing the previous attitudes of people. After comparing the attitude changes in people who engaged in such discussions from those who did not, it was found that participants of group discussions tend to raise more arguments and creative ideas. When it comes to the topic of women's rights, though, the participants of group discussions produced lesser arguments, specifically with regards to the work condition., Numerous theoretical and empirical studies have dealt with the subject of attitude change (McGuire, 1968). Heider (1946, p. 111) defined attitudes as cognitive configurations; other researchers have defined them as [...]