ABSTRACT
THAT groups make choices and decisions different from individuals is almost a given in small group theory and research today. However, Stoner’s (1961) discovery that groups make riskier choices than individuals took many researchers by surprise, as previous supposition had it that groups were more cautious than individuals in their decision making. Over time, risk and caution in decision-making groups have been assessed in a variety of formats (see, e.g., Chapko & Solomon, 1974; Seeborg, Lafollete, & Belohlav, 1980) and in a diversity of situations (see, e.g., Myers& Kaplan, 1976; Teger& Pruitt, 1967). This assessment found the risky shift phenomenon to be a choice shift effect, alternatively labeled group polarization, wherein groups become either more risky or more cautious than individuals when making decisions. The increasing maturity and sophistication of research and theory on the group polarization process has generated several promising avenues to explore in the search to refine our understanding of group decision processes; however, most of the attention has continued to focus on risky shift rather than cautious shift effects.
