title: Consensus collaboration enhances group and individual recall accuracy.
abstract: We often remember in groups, yet research on collaborative recall finds "collaborative inhibition": Recalling with others has costs compared to recalling alone. In related paradigms, remembering with others introduces errors into recall. We compared costs and benefits of two collaboration procedures--turn taking and consensus. First, 135 individuals learned a word list and recalled it alone (Recall 1). Then, 45 participants in three-member groups took turns to recall, 45 participants in three-member groups reached a consensus, and 45 participants recalled alone but were analysed as three-member nominal groups (Recall 2). Finally, all participants recalled alone (Recall 3). Both turn-taking and consensus groups demonstrated the usual pattern of costs during collaboration and benefits after collaboration in terms of recall completeness. However, consensus groups, and not turn-taking groups, demonstrated clear benefits in terms of recall accuracy, both during and after collaboration. Consensus groups engaged in beneficial group source-monitoring processes. Our findings challenge assumptions about the negative consequences of social remembering.
authors.affiliation: Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. celia@psy.au.dk
authors.forename: Celia B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barnier
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sutton
mesh_terms: D032921:Consensus; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult