Groups perform better than the best individuals on letters-to-numbers problems: effects of group size.
Individuals and groups of 2, 3, 4, or 5 people solved 2 letters-to-numbers problems that required participants, on each trial, to identify the coding of 10 letters to 10 numbers by proposing an equation in letters, receiving the answer in letters, proposing a hypothesis, and receiving feedback on the correctness of the hypothesis. Groups of 3, 4, and 5 people proposed more complex equations and had fewer trials to solution than the best of an equivalent number of individuals. Groups of 3, 4, and 5 people had fewer trials to solution than 2-person groups but did not differ from each other. These results suggest that 3-person groups are necessary and sufficient to perform better than the best individuals on highly intellective problems.
Laughlin
Patrick R
PR
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA. plaughli@uiuc.edu
Hatch
Erin C
EC
Silver
Jonathan S
JS
Boh
Lee
L
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D011340:Problem Solving