Individuals' and Groups' Ratings of Appropriateness of Behavior

Abstract

51 male college freshmen, working either individually or in groups of three to six members, were asked to rate the appropriateness of 90 hypothetical behavior-situation combinations on a 10-point scale. The behavior-situation combinations fell into one of three different categories: (1) “High” appropriateness (e.g., ‘Running in the park’); (2) “medium” or relatively neutral appropriateness (e.g., ‘Mumble on a bus’); and (3) “low” appropriateness (e.g., ‘Fight at the movies’). Subjects working in groups rated the appropriateness of the “high” combinations higher and the appropriateness of the “low” combinations lower than did the subjects working individually. These results suggest that groups make judgments of behavior appropriateness that are more extreme than those of individuals.