ABSTRACT
Many recently developed learning environments incorporate collaborative learning as well as the use of technology in their design. However, at least within the social psychology literature that has investigated groups as information processors, studies have found that groups of people working together are frequently less effective than individuals working alone, or than the combined efforts of an equal number of individuals working alone (Diehl & Stroebe, 1987; Gigone & Hastie, 1997; Hastie, 1986; Hill, 1982). On the other hand, among studies of collaborative learning in educational contexts, advantages of the performance of a group over individuals have been reported (Hertz-Lazarowitz & Miller, 1995; Johnson & Johnson, 1989; Webb & Palincsar, 1996). The focus of this chapter is to begin to explore what may be responsible for the discrepancy between the findings of these two literatures, the kinds of processes that may underlie gains and losses in group contexts, and finally, the use of technology to promote successful collaborative problem solving and reasoning.
