Conceptions of group decision and group conflict applied to vector space: A research model

Abstract

This paper is an attempt, on the one hand, to integrate with and clarify basic theory and, on the other, to discuss research methods and concepts for the description and measurement of the group decision process. Specifically it proposes to set out ways for describing and measuring the speed, accuracy, and ultimate satisfaction of group decisions and to relate these to (a) controllable conditions which may be manipulated, (b) the interaction in the group which cannot be controlled, and (c) the personality characteristics and attitudes of the group members. The result of this attempt is a vector model which describes decision making in terms of attitudes. It makes use of a new line of research which has become known as the dynamic calculus.