Analisis de redes sociales y procesos de influencia en la toma de decision grupal

En el presente trabajo se analizan los procesos de influencia por medio del estudio de las relaciones entre medidas convencionales y estructurales en tareas de toma de decisión grupal. Se exploraron los componentes de conectividad y prestigio como facilitadores del proceso de influencia; la conectividad por medio del flujo global, la participación, la densidad de la red ego centrada y la cohesión o distancia reticular. El prestigio se analizó por medio del status sociométrico, medidas de influencia y centralidad (grado, prestigio y poder) y medidas de equivalencia estructural para delimitar roles y posiciones. Se utilizó la prueba Supervivencia en la Luna y participaron 70 alumnos de tercer año de la Carrera de Psicología. Los resultados muestran que existe una asociación significativa entre el conocimiento previo a la tarea y la influencia social medida como contribución al producto grupal, que las medidas de centralidad tienen relación con aspectos de la dinámica grupal y no con la contribución al producto y que los roles varían dentro y fuera de la tarea. La influencia está significativamente asociada a la densidad de la red personal. La interpretación de los resultados sugiere que las redes personales de baja densidad favorecen la capacidad de influencia en la producción grupal y que la alta cohesión y conectividad subgrupal la deterioran. También sugieren que las medidas de centralidad se relacionan con influencia en el tráfico comunicacional pero no con la productividad. Y que el status previo y el obtenido durante la actividad, no se vinculan con la producción.

This paper analyses the social influence processes by means of the study of the relationships between conventional and structural measures in tasks of group decision making. A revision of the social influence models (Rice, 1993) shows that three essential components are included generally by all the authors and these are: a) The ambiguity, uncertainty or novelty of the situation. b) The connectivity, the exposure to influence or social proximity as the extent to which one can be exposed to influence from others. c) The prestige or importance of other sources, affected by factors such as credibility, status, and salience in the individual of the other source. This work reports the results of an experience that tries to neutralize the ambiguos component of the social influence and to relate both remaining, connectivity and prestige. In order to do this, the Moon Survival Test (Hall and Watson, 1970) was selected. This decision about the task can be considered intellective to the degree that it meets the four criteria of demonstrability of Laughlin and Ellis (1986). Intellective problems have correet solutions, these are problems with a well defined final state and, in which the argument of the participants has an outstanding weight in the interaction processes and the personal opinion is reduced. The four criteria of demonstrability are: a) Conceptual system exists to characterize the task and there is consent about the system mies. b) Enough available information exists to solve the problem, as well in the context of decision or in the memory of the participants. c) The incorrect members have sufficient understanding of the system to recognize a correct answer if it is explained to them. d) At least one correct member has sufficient time, ability, and motivation to explain the correct answer to the rest of the group. The analysis of the other two facilitator components of the influence process, connectivity and prestige, were carried out by means of conventional strategies and of measures arisen of the social network analysis. The connectivity was studied by means of the global flow, the participation, the density of the ego centered networks and the cohesion or geodesic distance from each actor with the resto The prestige was analyzed by means of the sociometric status previous to the task, reticular measures of influence and centrality (grade, prestige, and power) and measures of profiles of structural equivalence that define roles and positions in the network. Seventy students of third year of the Career of Psychology ofthe National University of Mar de! Plata participated in this study. The results show that a significant association exists among the previous knowledge about the task and the social influence measure as contribution to the group producto They also show that the centrality measures have re!ationship with aspects of the group dynamic, with the activity of the network, but not with the contribution to the product and that the role varies inside and outside the task. The influence is significantly associated to the density of the ego network. The interpretation of the results claim that the network connectivity have a strong influence in the final decision making of the group. It also suggests that the low density ego network favors the influence capacity in the group production and that the high cohesion and subgroup connectivity, although it generates a high pressure in the direct contacts, diminishes the influence exercised on the group as a whole. It is also suggested that the centrality measures are re!ated with the influence in the communicational traffic but not with the productivity. And that the previous status and the one which is obtained during the activity, they are not linked with the production.

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Resumen

Español En el presente trabajo se analizan los procesos de influencia por medio del estudio de las relaciones entre medidas convencionales y estructurales en tareas de toma de decisión grupal. Se exploraron los componentes de conectividad y prestigio como facilitadores del proceso de influencia; la conectividad por medio del flujo global, la participación, la densidad de la red ego centrada y la cohesión o distancia reticular. El prestigio se analizó por medio del status sociométrico, medidas de influencia y centralidad (grado, prestigio y poder) y medidas de equivalencia estructural para delimitar roles y posiciones. Se utilizó la prueba Supervivencia en la Luna y participaron 70 alumnos de tercer año de la Carrera de Psicología. Los resultados muestran que existe una asociación significativa entre el conocimiento previo a la tarea y la influencia social medida como contribución al producto grupal, que las medidas de centralidad tienen relación con aspectos de la dinámica grupal y no con la contribución al producto y que los roles varían dentro y fuera de la tarea. La influencia está significativamente asociada a la densidad de la red personal. La interpretación de los resultados sugiere que las redes personales de baja densidad favorecen la capacidad de influencia en la producción grupal y que la alta cohesión y conectividad subgrupal la deterioran. También sugieren que las medidas de centralidad se relacionan con influencia en el tráfico comunicacional pero no con la productividad. Y que el status previo y el obtenido durante la actividad, no se vinculan con la producción.

Inglés This paper analyses the social influence processes by means of the study of the relationships between conventional and structural measures in tasks of group decision making. A revision of the social influence models (Rice, 1993) shows that three essential components are included generally by all the authors and these are: a) The ambiguity, uncertainty or novelty of the situation. b) The connectivity, the exposure to influence or social proximity as the extent to which one can be exposed to influence from others. c) The prestige or importance of other sources, affected by factors such as credibility, status, and salience in the individual of the other source. This work reports the results of an experience that tries to neutralize the ambiguos component of the social influence and to relate both remaining, connectivity and prestige. In order to do this, the Moon Survival Test (Hall and Watson, 1970) was selected. This decision about the task can be considered intellective to the degree that it meets the four criteria of demonstrability of Laughlin and Ellis (1986). Intellective problems have correet solutions, these are problems with a well defined final state and, in which the argument of the participants has an outstanding weight in the interaction processes and the personal opinion is reduced. The four criteria of demonstrability are: a) Conceptual system exists to characterize the task and there is consent about the system mies. b) Enough available information exists to solve the problem, as well in the context of decision or in the memory of the participants. c) The incorrect members have sufficient understanding of the system to recognize a correct answer if it is explained to them. d) At least one correct member has sufficient time, ability, and motivation to explain the correct answer to the rest of the group. The analysis of the other two facilitator components of the influence process, connectivity and prestige, were carried out by means of conventional strategies and of measures arisen of the social network analysis. The connectivity was studied by means of the global flow, the participation, the density of the ego centered networks and the cohesion or geodesic distance from each actor with the resto The prestige was analyzed by means of the sociometric status previous to the task, reticular measures of influence and centrality (grade, prestige, and power) and measures of profiles of structural equivalence that define roles and positions in the network. Seventy students of third year of the Career of Psychology ofthe National University of Mar de! Plata participated in this study. The results show that a significant association exists among the previous knowledge about the task and the social influence measure as contribution to the group producto They also show that the centrality measures have re!ationship with aspects of the group dynamic, with the activity of the network, but not with the contribution to the product and that the role varies inside and outside the task. The influence is significantly associated to the density of the ego network. The interpretation of the results claim that the network connectivity have a strong influence in the final decision making of the group. It also suggests that the low density ego network favors the influence capacity in the group production and that the high cohesion and subgroup connectivity, although it generates a high pressure in the direct contacts, diminishes the influence exercised on the group as a whole. It is also suggested that the centrality measures are re!ated with the influence in the communicational traffic but not with the productivity. And that the previous status and the one which is obtained during the activity, they are not linked with the production.