Psychology of Jury Decision-Making and Ant Behavior

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Questions and Answers

What psychological phenomenon is observed when juries rate a defendant as more guilty after discussion?

Social facilitation

Consensus formation

Terporisation

Polarization (correct)

In the study described, how many traffic felony cases were rated by the participants?

8 (correct)

What was the significance of discussing half of the felony cases in the study?

It was irrelevant to the rating process.

It reduced individual biases.

It increased the ratings of high guilt cases. (correct)

It provided a consensus instead of individual ratings.

Which of the following best describes the rationale behind jurors discussing the cases?

To influence each other's perceptions of guilt. Signup and view all the answers

Which group size was used to rate the traffic felony cases in the study described?

6 people Signup and view all the answers

What role do decoys play in the decision-making of ants regarding their nests?

Decoys can lead ants to favor nest B over nest A. Signup and view all the answers

How does collective rationality function in ant colonies when faced with decoys?

Ants make rational decisions independent of decoys. Signup and view all the answers

Which nest are ants more likely to choose when presented with decoys?

Nest B, because it appears better with the decoys. Signup and view all the answers

What is indicated by the concept of individual irrationality in ant decision-making?

Individual choices can differ greatly among ants due to environmental factors. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the decision-making process of ants when they are presented with multiple options?

Choice overload leads to less optimal outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

What was the consequence of the engineer not challenging the captain's decision during the Tenerife incident?

It contributed to the worst aviation accident on land. Signup and view all the answers

What factor increases the likelihood of accidents in aviation according to the information provided?

The difference in authority rankings among crew members. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true regarding conforming behavior?

It may compel individuals to ignore their doubts. Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of junior co-pilots reported not relaying safety concerns due to rank differences?

40% Signup and view all the answers

What does the 1977 KLM and Pan-Am incident exemplify in terms of authority?

The importance of junior crew's input in decision-making. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best explains why individuals might conform despite having doubts about decisions?

Their desire for acceptance from peers. Signup and view all the answers

How can authority differences affect overall safety in aviation?

They risk undermining critical feedback systems. Signup and view all the answers

Which behavior did the engineer display during the incident that contributed to the accident?

Ignoring his own doubts. Signup and view all the answers

What phenomenon occurs when a group reaches consensus without critical evaluation?

Groupthink Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following characteristics is associated with groupthink?

Avoidance of criticism Signup and view all the answers

In which type of teams is groupthink likely to be exacerbated?

Homogeneous teams Signup and view all the answers

What is one downside of group decision-making mentioned in the lecture structure?

Conformity Signup and view all the answers

What are benefits of group decision-making according to the content?

Wisdom of the crowd Signup and view all the answers

What impact does a cohesive group have on its decision-making process?

Leads to unanimous decisions Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a reason for poor decision-making in groups?

Diverse opinions Signup and view all the answers

What does the mention of 'Myers & Kaplan, 1975' refer to in the context of group decision-making?

Lower punishment for guilt Signup and view all the answers

What observation is made about group reasoning compared to individual reasoning?

Groups tend to have better reasoning than individuals. Signup and view all the answers

Which group had the highest percentage of correct answers in turning over the cards?

Groups of individuals Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of individuals correctly identified which cards to turn over?

9.4% Signup and view all the answers

In the card task, which card represents the logic to prove the statement: If a card has a vowel on one side, it has an even number on the other side?

E Signup and view all the answers

Which percentage reflects the performance of groups facing similar reasoning problems?

75% Signup and view all the answers

What mismatch occurs when individuals attempt the reasoning task?

They neglect to turn over the cards. Signup and view all the answers

What is one explanation for improved decision-making in groups?

Discussion allows for pooling of knowledge. Signup and view all the answers

Which pattern reflects the overall trend in individual versus group performance?

Groups typically outperform individuals. Signup and view all the answers

Based on improved reasoning, how do groups perform compared to individuals?

Groups do better than the best individual in the group, except for groups of 2. Signup and view all the answers

If B is incorrectly assumed to be 3, what can be concluded about the hypothesis?

The hypothesis is false. Signup and view all the answers

What number must a two-digit number start with to be valid in this reasoning context?

It must start with one. Signup and view all the answers

What is the total of the calculation presented: $3 + 5 + 2 + 2 + 1 + b + 4 + 7 + 0 + 9$?

45 Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'fewer trials' relate to in the context provided?

The need for less data to make informed decisions. Signup and view all the answers

What is implied about reasoning together in a group?

It boosts the accuracy of the group's best member. Signup and view all the answers

In the hypothesis testing example, how many times is the participant asked if B is 3?

Once. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best represents the relationship between groups and individuals based on the content?

Groups outperform individuals, especially if they consist of more than two members. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Group Decision-Making

Group decision-making encompasses various contexts, including boards, pub quizzes, multi-disciplinary teams (MDTS), flight crews, juries, and electorates.
Downsides of group decision-making include conformity, authority issues, polarization, and groupthink.
Benefits of group decision-making include the wisdom of the crowd and improved reasoning.
Learning outcomes include defining phenomena causing poor group decisions, explaining the wisdom of crowds' mechanism, identifying factors affecting crowd wisdom accuracy, and explaining how group reasoning exceeds individual parts.

Conformity

The Asch experiment, a classic study, demonstrated the power of conformity in group decision-making.
Participants in the experiment exhibited conformity by agreeing with a clearly incorrect answer from confederates.
This suggests a widespread tendency for individuals to conform to group opinions, even when they are confident in their own.
A significant percentage of participants agreed with confederates' responses at least once when judging the length of lines.

Authority

Authority figures' influence can lead to poor decisions.
Investigative findings on the 1977 KLM and Pan-Am jumbo jet collision show engineers hesitated to challenge the captain's decision to take off despite clear concerns.
The study highlights that hierarchical structures can stifle the input and concerns of those with differing expertise.
Seniority in a hierarchy makes it less likely that people challenge the decision of those with higher ranks.
Differences in rank between co-pilots and captains are related to a lower chance of safety concerns being reported by junior co-pilots.

Polarization

Polarization refers to a shift towards a more extreme viewpoint following group discussion.
Participants, when asked to determine the minimum and maximum risk for a chess move, demonstrated a tendency for group polarization, moving toward more extreme risk levels.
This effect typically is toward either a riskier or a more cautious view.
Additional research found that this phenomenon can affect group discussions.
Groups often end up making decisions that are further from the initial judgments of those involved compared with an average of individual judgments.

Groupthink

Groupthink occurs when a group's desire for harmony overrides critical evaluation of alternative courses of action, leading to poor decisions.
It can arise in cohesive groups where members prioritize avoiding conflict and maintain a shared outlook rather than assessing different possibilities.
Groupthink can be exacerbated by the homogeneity of group members.

Wisdom of the Crowd

This concept refers to the collective intelligence of a large group.
Participants given a complex estimation task, like estimating the weight of an ox, demonstrated that their collective average was remarkably close to the actual weight.
When individual estimates are combined, the resulting average converges significantly closer to the correct answer.
Similar concepts involving medical diagnoses involving radiologists led to similar findings.

Improved Reasoning

Groups, in various scenarios, demonstrate better problem-solving and reasoning compared to individuals.
In tasks like evaluating cards based on a specific rule, groups made fewer errors than individuals.
These findings suggest a cognitive benefit to reasoning in groups, leading to increased accuracy.
Such improvements typically do not hold when groups are very small.
Experiments used in various methods of decision-making to discover what factors affect accuracy and performance.

Irrationality and Collective Rationality

The irrational behaviors of individuals can lead to collective rationality.
Ants, when making decisions about nest locations, may exhibit irrationality but collectively demonstrate rationality based on the perceived quality of each location.
While individuals may act irrationally, the collective behavior can still optimize the decision-making outcome.
Different species of insects display a very similar pattern when making colony-level decisions.

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Description

Explore the intriguing psychological phenomena that influence jury decisions and compare them to decision-making in ant colonies. This quiz examines how discussions affect jury perceptions of guilt and the role of decoys in ant behavior. Test your understanding of these fascinating concepts in psychology and ethology.