Why Groups Fail to Share Information Effectively
"No, leaks aren't on the agenda..."
In 1985 Stasser and Titus published the best sort of psychology study. Not only does it shine a new light on how groups communicate and make decisions, it also surprises, confuses and intrigues. Oddly, the results first look as if they can't be right, then later it seems obvious they are right, then attention turns to what can be done about it.
40 Superb Psychology Blogs
Forty of the best psychology blogs, chosen to give you a broad sweep of the most interesting content being produced online right now.
The list is split into three sections: first are more general psychological blogs, followed by those with an academic slant, followed by condition specific and patient perspective blogs. Other than that the blogs are presented in no particular order:
Fighting Groupthink With Dissent
· Why dissent is vital to effective decision-making.
In government, in corporate boardrooms, every day across the land people gather in groups to make decisions. More often than we would like these decisions turn out to be wrong, sometimes very badly wrong. Governments waste billions, corporations go bankrupt and people suffer. So why do groups sometimes make such awful decisions?
How Newcomers Can Influence Established Groups
· Groups resist criticism—especially from newcomers.
Picture this: you've just started a new job and you're sat nervously in your first meeting. You look around, still trying to match names to faces. Early on a problem is discussed you know all about from a previous job. Putting aside nerves, you hop right in and start to explain just how it was dealt with at that previous company.
Are Your Initials Holding You Back?
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet." ~Romeo and Juliet
In these lines from Shakespeare's famous play, Juliet is trying to persuade Romeo that the bitter feud between their respective families doesn't matter, that he and his surname are easily divisible, and so they can be together.
10 Rules That Govern Groups
Much of our lives are spent in groups with other people: we form groups to socialise, earn money, play sport, make music, even to change the world. But although groups are diverse, many of the psychological processes involved are remarkably similar.
Persuasion: The Right-Ear Advantage
If you want someone to comply with a random request for a cigarette, you should speak into their right ear, according to a new study by researchers in Italy.
Marzoli & Tommasi (2009) had a female confederate visit a disco and approach 176 random people asking for a smoke. Clubbers were about twice as likely to hand one over if the request was directed at the right ear, whether or not the clubber was male or female. Whether these findings will hold good for other types of request is unknown.
Why Left to Right Punches Are More Aggressive, Powerful and Shocking
Reading and writing from left to right is a skill so well-practised, so ingrained in language, that it's easy to ignore. Yet, according to some research, the direction in which language flows could have implications that spread into many other areas of our experience.
