The purpose of this dissertation was to, from the point of view of interaction, study how the factors group size, group composition, group norm and problem type influenced group problem solving. Three classroom studies were performed in grades four and five of the Swedish nine-year compulsory school. In addition to the participants in various pilot studies, the experiment included 1146 pupils. The performance was measured both regarding group results and the individual short-term and long-term retention of knowledge. A fifth factor, group productivity, was formed on the basis of these two measurement values.Group size 1, 2, 3 and 6 were studied. The group composition was defined on the basis of, on one hand, the ability levels high, middle and low and, on the other, on the basis of sex. The group norms were included through instructions about cooperation and competition. A third group norm, so-called free norms, was also introduced. Two problem types were used. One of them was designed so that the other group members would easily be able to judge if a response from one of the group members was correct or not (high accessibility). The other problem type was defined in terms of low accessibility. The first study included the factors group size and group composition (ability), the second study included group composition (sex), group norm, problem type and group productivity, and the third study included all five factors. The factor group size turned out to be of great importance and interacted with each of the other factors. Only high ability pupils could make use of group size in interaction with e. g. the factor group composition. Group composition was also interesting regarding sex. Co-operation favoured girls and competition favoured boys. The results also indicate that girls remember what they learn better than boys. Interactions between the factor group norm and the factors group size, problem type and group productivity showed that, in no case, did co-operation produce poorer results than competition and free norms. Various interactions with the factor problem type and other factors showed that larger group sizes are more favourable to the solving of problems with a high accessibility than to the solving of problems with a low accessibility. However, the individual group members had a better recollection of the solutions to problems with a low accessibility than to problems with a high accessibility. The factor group productivity was included in interactions with each of the other factors and in the three-way and four-way interactions. These interactions indicate that the factor group productivity, in terms of both group results and individual results, is an important factor in group research and in other classroom research.By way of conclusion, the results are discussed regarding educational implications and continued research. / digitalisering@umu

Organizations today face complex problems requiring individuals to work in groups to develop insightful solutions efficiently through coordination, sharing, and integration of distributed knowledge. However, very little research has investigated group problem solving, specifically in terms of incentives and problem structure. This research uses laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of individual versus group goal conflict on collaborative behaviour and performance in group problem solving process. The experiments study 4-person problem solving groups, in which the group solution emerges through coordination and information sharing. The design of the experiment is a 3 by 3 design with two factors, incentive and task structure. Experiments manipulated the relative weights of individual and group rewards using three ratios (0:100, 50:50, 100:0). Three experimental tasks differing in structure were used to investigate the incentive conflict effect on different kind of problems; in particular, problems containing detours and requiring restructuring. One-hundred and sixty-four undergraduate students participated in this study. The group problem solving process is viewed as a process towards increased structural balance based on Heider’s balance theory. This method captures both incremental search and cognitive restructuring during the problem solving process. Results report the effects of group versus individual goal conflict on group performance and behaviour. Results show that incentive influenced group performance and behaviour by affecting strategies groups used to approach the problem. Individual incentive encouraged the group to focus on the solution state while group incentives encouraged random exploration, and this difference is most significant under the complex problem structure. Results also show that task structure influenced group performance and behaviour by varying the amount of incremental search and restructuring required to solve the problem. Individual incentive weakened difference on performances among three problem structures, while group incentive amplified differences on performance and behaviour among three problem structures.

Organizations today face complex problems requiring individuals to work in groups to develop insightful solutions efficiently through coordination, sharing, and integration of distributed knowledge. However, very little research has investigated group problem solving, specifically in terms of incentives and problem structure. This research uses laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of individual versus group goal conflict on collaborative behaviour and performance in group problem solving process. The experiments study 4-person problem solving groups, in which the group solution emerges through coordination and information sharing. The design of the experiment is a 3 by 3 design with two factors, incentive and task structure. Experiments manipulated the relative weights of individual and group rewards using three ratios (0:100, 50:50, 100:0). Three experimental tasks differing in structure were used to investigate the incentive conflict effect on different kind of problems; in particular, problems containing detours and requiring restructuring. One-hundred and sixty-four undergraduate students participated in this study. The group problem solving process is viewed as a process towards increased structural balance based on Heider’s balance theory. This method captures both incremental search and cognitive restructuring during the problem solving process. Results report the effects of group versus individual goal conflict on group performance and behaviour. Results show that incentive influenced group performance and behaviour by affecting strategies groups used to approach the problem. Individual incentive encouraged the group to focus on the solution state while group incentives encouraged random exploration, and this difference is most significant under the complex problem structure. Results also show that task structure influenced group performance and behaviour by varying the amount of incremental search and restructuring required to solve the problem. Individual incentive weakened difference on performances among three problem structures, while group incentive amplified differences on performance and behaviour among three problem structures.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1999. Graduate Programme in Business. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-208). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ56268.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-47). Issued in print and online. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-150). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-150). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

This dissertation studies the relationship between collaboration networks and scientific creativity. It finds significant knowledge spillover from new collaborations to repeated collaborations, and proposes a network approach to understand scientific creativity at the egocentric network level beyond the boundary of teams. To understand the network effect (specifically, effects of tie strength) on creativity, it integrates literature on small groups and social networks and adopts a creative-process model. An inverted U-shaped relationship between tie strength and creativity is observed, because of the mixed impacts of tie strength at different stages of the creative process. Furthermore, it explores the effect of tie configurations and finds that the skewness of tie strength distribution moderates the effect of tie strength. In addition, it also tests two competing explanations for the association between strong tie and low creativity: creativity-decline hypothesis versus cost-reduction hypothesis. Finally, there is no evidence that collaboration networks would raise the visibility of previously published papers, but there is a significant prestige effect in gaining citations.

Thesis (MPhil)--Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, Department of Critical and Cultural Studies, 2007. / Bibliography: leaves 241-251. / Introduction -- Re-devising theatre: towards a genealogy of devising practice -- Pre-devising: group formation, development and games -- Devising theatre: This is not an exit -- Conclusion. / This non-traditional thesis explores the practical and theoretical processes of group-devised theatre. The research informing this thesis is derived from two interrelated components - a practical project in group devising, and a theoretical study of alternative theatre, devising methodologies, and performance theory. -- Chapter One defines "devising" before tracing its origins through the development of experimental practices from the historical avant-garde to the present day. These practices include radical disruptions to discursive language and structure, increased multimedia, reconsiderations of the performer's function and the use of improvisation. This genealogy is argued to be a "literature of practice" capable of informing contemporary devising projects, as well as helping to establish the position of devising within contemporary performance theory. -- Chapter Two examines how creative collaborators begin to form and function as a devising group, a period I theoretically term "pre-devising". By examining the experiences of my group, gaps in devising literature concerning group formation and composition are identified, complemented by an investigation into the role of theatre games in building ensemble. -- Chapter Three draws upon the genealogy of devising, devising literature and performance theory to interrogate the process of devising our production, This Is Not An Exit. The theoretical and practical problems of our methods are explored. These methods include organising the group as an artistic democracy, developing naturalistic characters, and establishing a "postmodern aesthetic". By analysing our experiences, this chapter attempts to illustrate the complex tangle of influences informing contemporary performance practitioners, and highlight areas ripe for future critical research. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / 251 leaves

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-226) and index.