title: The impact of group discussion on the theory-perseverance bias.
abstract: The theory-perseverance bias was investigated in 3 related studies. In Study 1, a test of the hypothesis that group discussion attenuates this bias, male and female Canadian undergraduates examined information suggesting that either a positive or a negative relationship exists between risk preference and firefighting performance; they were then informed that this information was fictitious. They then recorded their beliefs regarding the actual relationship between these variables (a) immediately, (b) after 7 min of thought, (c) after a 7-min group discussion, or (d) after perusing a transcript of one of the discussions. Only the participants in the first condition made biased judgments. Study 2, which used Vinokur and Burnstein's (1974) procedures and which again drew a sample of Canadian students, provided support for a persuasive-arguments explanation of this group-discussion effect. The results of Study 3, which used procedures similar to those of Study 1, ruled out a social-comparison explanation for this effect. Factors that might enhance or diminish the effects of group discussion on this bias are suggested.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , St. Francis Xavier University.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Christie
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Stoffer