ABSTRACT
Two features characterize most previous researchon small-group decision making. First, relatively little of this research has directly observed and analyzed the group decision-making process itself.
Second, nearly all existing process-oriented research has used at its unit of analysis one or another aspect of the group’s verbal communication-its content, temporal flow, patterning, and so on (e.g., Bales,
1950; Fisher, 1970; Leavitt, 1951; Schachter, 1951; Stephan & Mishler, 1952; Vinokur & Burnstein, 1974). This paper reports a study of small-group decision making that departs from both of these research traditions. This study systematically examines the internal dynamics of decision-making groups using a unit of analysis other than verbal behavior, namely, the distribution of member preferences across decision alternatives.
