What kind of small-group discussion would be useful for handling hidden profiles?

Abstract

A hidden profile is defined as a small-group decision task in which a superior decision alternative exists; however, each group member cannot detect the superiority, as each possesses a subset of information that supports an inferior decision alternative. This hidden profile can be addressed if group members share and integrate the information they possess. Based on the characteristics of the hidden profile, we hypothesize that discussing the advantages or strengths of decision alternatives (i.e., discussing with positive framing) is one possible key to addressing hidden profiles. To verify this hypothesis, we utilize the hidden profile paradigm and manipulate the discussion framing in small-group decision tasks (positive framing, negative framing, and control conditions) with 12 to 14 groups of three and four people per condition. Data were collected from 147 female undergraduate students. The findings do not support our hypothesis but suggest that discussing the disadvantages or weaknesses of decision alternatives (i.e., discussing with negative framing) may be more helpful in addressing hidden profiles. We also discuss the theoretical implications of these findings.