Evaluate Why Groups May Not Be Trusted to Make Good Decisions.

Evaluate why groups may not be trusted to make good decisions.

Turner (1982) had the view that a group was simply two or more individuals who are members of the same social category or share the same or similar interests or opinions. Whereas Brown (2000) extended on Turner’s definition by saying that a group is two or more individuals who define themselves as a group and others outside recognize them as a group. With Brown’s definition it can be assumed that even when other members of the group are not present the individual is still categorized as in that particular group by others. So a feminist is still a feminist even without other feminists.

Higgins (2000) believes that what makes a good decision is based upon the outcomes. Higgins (2000) said that a good decision is worthwhile and worth it to the decision maker and so has high outcome benefits and low outcome costs.

There are many situations where groups have to make decisions where the outcome can affect someone or an event. Being on a jury is a prime example of individuals coming together to make a good or right decision. There are many factors which influences peoples decisions and jurors are open to these influences as well.

Michelini and Snodgrass (1980) found that jurors are more likely to acquit a defendant who is physically attractive. This is known as the Halo effect (Thorndike 1920), this is an unconscious judgment or cognitive bias where a trait of someone or an object is influenced by another trait, so in this situation the jurors are assuming that the defendant is not guilty based on the fact that they are attractive and so assuming that other aspects of their personality are also attractive. Most people are unaware of the Halo effect and so have no awareness when they are making a decision solely based on someone’s appearance. Nisbett and Wilson (1977) found that even when people where told about the Halo effect and how it affects our judgments people still have no awareness when it...