The ecological rationality of simple group heuristics: effects of group member strategies on decision accuracy

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_BFB63CBBE3EF
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The ecological rationality of simple group heuristics: effects of group member strategies on decision accuracy
Journal
Theory and Decision
Author(s)
Reimer T., Hoffrage U.
ISSN
0040-5833
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2006
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
60
Number
4
Pages
403-438
Language
english
Abstract
The notion of ecological rationality implies that the accuracy of a decision strategy depends on features of the information environment in which it is tested. We demonstrate that the performance of a group may be strongly affected by the decision strategies used by its individual members and specify how this effect is moderated by environmental features. Specifically, in a set of simulation studies, we systematically compared four decision strategies used by the individual group members: two linear, compensatory decision strategies and two simple, noncompensatory heuristics. Individual decisions were aggregated by using a majority rule. To assess the ecological rationality of the strategies, we varied (a) the distribution of cue validities, (b) the quantity, and (c) the quality of shared information. Group performance strongly depended on the distribution of cue validities. When validities were linearly distributed, groups using a compensatory strategy achieved the highest accuracy. Conversely, when cue validities followed a J-shaped distribution, groups using a simple lexicographic heuristic performed best. While these effects were robust across different quantities of shared information, the quality of shared information exerted stronger effects on group performance. Consequences for prescriptive theories on group decision making are discussed.
Keywords
Compensatory and noncompensatory decision strategies, Group decision making, Group performance, Simple heuristics
Web of science
Create date
24/02/2009 15:34
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:34
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