David Dryden Henningsen

Examining Social Influence in Information-Sharing Contexts

Research on hidden profiles has found that groups tend to make decisions reflecting the information shared among group members prior to discussion. However, shared information is confounded with individual prediscussion preferences in hidden profile situations. In this article, the authors manipulate information distribution to examine hidden, ambiguous (i.e., prediscussion preferences favor no alternative), and clear (i.e., prediscussion preferences support the decision alternative favored by the total information) profiles. They examine the influence of profile type on group decisions, use of shared and unshared information, and perceptions of normative and informational influence. Results indicate that groups make superior decisions and rely more on unshared information in clear and ambiguous profiles than in hidden profiles. In addition, perceived social influence is most prevalent in ambiguous profiles.

Role of social loafing in predeliberation decision making.

The relationship between social loafing and decision making was examined in an individual predeliberation thinking task. Participants (N = 189) were asked to read information and make decisions ostensibly in order to make a future individual or group decision. Decision type (intellective or judgmental) and anticipated group size (individuals or 4 or 8 members) were manipulated to examine their effect on information recall. Individuals who anticipated working alone or who believed they were making intellective decisions recalled more information than did those who anticipated working in groups or who believed they were making judgmental decisions.

Social facilitation and human-computer interaction

The Computers As Social Actors (CASA) research paradigm has examined how individuals respond to computers programmed to interact in various ways. In the current research, we extend the principles of CASA to determine whether computer icons can be used to produce social facilitation effects. Varying task difficulty and the presence or absence of a computer icon (i.e., Microsoft words Clip), performance on a typing task is considered. Overall, results provide some support for the contention that the mere presence of a computer icon may influence task performance.

Why do We Flirt? Flirting Motivations and Sex Differences in Working and Social Contexts

Employing worker and student samples, motivations to engage in flirtatious communication are explored. Six flirting motivations, derived from Henningsen, are considered. Differences across samples are considered using cognitive valence theory as a framework. In addition to differences across worker and student samples, sex differences are also examined. Measures tapping six different flirting motivations (i.e., sexual, relational, exploring, esteem, instrumental, and fun) are utilized. Overall, and consistent with cognitive valence theory, the worker sample is less likely to view flirting as motivated by sexual or relational motivations than is the student sample. Additionally, sex differences emerge for sex and exploration motivations, with men reporting greater levels of each than women.

Pattern violations and perceptions of deception

This research hypothesizes that observers associate deceptiveness with inconsistency in nonverbal behaviors (i.e., pattern violations) rather than with the mere presence of certain nonverbal cues. To test the hypothesis, two studies were designed to assess the impact of witness behavior on observer ratings of deceptiveness and nervousness. Participants observed mock witness testimony pertaining to an insurance claim investigation. During the testimony a witness enacted low, inconsistent, or high levels of deceptive nonverbal cues. In each study, inconsistent levels of nonverbal cues produced higher ratings of witness’ deceptiveness than did high or low levels of deceptive nonverbal cues. The relationship between perceptions of deceptiveness and nervousness was also examined.

Exploring the Effect of Verbal and Nonverbal Cues on Perceptions of Deception

How impressions of credibility are formed in trial type settings is examined using 173 participants. It is hypothesized that the severity of the penalty faced by an accused individual will increase participant involvement with the accuseds testimony. Involvement is predicted to interact with verbal and nonverbal cues associated with deception to influence jurors’ honesty judgments. Although penalty severity did not influence participant involvement, results indicate that involvement moderates the effect of verbal cues, but not nonverbal cues, on perceptions of deception.

Generating Ideas About the Uses of Brainstorming: Reconsidering the Losses and Gains of Brainstorming Groups Relative to Nominal Groups

The virtue of using nominal groups compared to brainstorming groups for idea generation is questionable. Brainstorming groups presumably will develop higher levels of cohesiveness than nominal groups following an idea generation task. Furthermore, the productivity of nominal groups is apt to be limited over time. Nominal (N = 31) and brainstorming (N = 28) groups of three or four members performed an idea generation task for two 10-minute periods. Brainstorming groups reported higher levels of cohesiveness than nominal groups. Furthermore, only during the first 10-minute period did nominal groups generate more ideas than brainstorming groups.

Do Groups Know What They Don't Know? Dealing With Missing Information in Decision-Making Groups:

Although scholars have examined how individuals deal with information that is unavailable on decision-making tasks, little research has explored how groups deal with missing information. The present study proposes two ways groups can address information that is unavailable: by employing a diminished information set or by inferring the value of missing information. Both of these approaches are tested using an information sharing task. Groups are compared with information unavailable to any member, available but unshared among group members (i.e., hidden profile), and available and shared among all group members. Evidence indicates that group members may utilize both strategies to deal with missing information.

A Preliminary Examination of Perceptions of Social Influence in Group Decision Making in the Workplace

Theory and research on social influence in groups indicate that normative influence can be detrimental to important group outcomes, whereas informational influence tends to have positive effects. However, much of the research providing these results consists of experimental studies conducted in laboratory settings. We examine how normative and informational influences are perceived in decision-making groups in the workplace. We find, in a survey of 197 individuals involved in group decision making in their workplaces, that the use of informational influence is viewed as enhancing group decision-making effectiveness and group cohesiveness. In contrast, normative influence has a negative effect on perceptions of decision-making effectiveness. Flirting as a form of idiosyncratic influence in the workplace is also considered and is found to have negative effects on perceptions of decision-making effectiveness and cohesiveness.

Looking at Favorable and Unfavorable Superior-Subordinate Relationships Through Dominance and Affiliation Lenses

Subordinates’ perceptions of the quality of their superiors are considered. Relational framing theory and leader-member exchange theory are utilized to understand forces that influence subordinates’ impressions of their superiors. As hypothesized, results revealed that perceptions of superiors’ quality are influenced by judgments about the activation of the affiliation-disaffiliation frame in the relationship. Contrary to expectations, dominance-submission relevance judgments were unrelated to perceptions of superiors’ quality. The sex of the superior, the sex of the subordinate and Feidler’s Least Preferred Co-worker scale were each found to be unrelated to relational framing. It is concluded that the application of relational framing theory to superior-subordinate relationships can advance our understanding of the superior-subordinate relationship.