Group A
Trident University courses have too many papers. I would much prefer a situation where we had several tests instead of having to write so many papers. Score your agreement with this statement on a scale of 1-8, and keep a record of your score:
1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8
Extremely
Disagree    Strongly
Disagree    Moderately Disagree    Slightly Disagree    Slightly Agree    Moderately Agree    Strongly Agree     Extremely Agree
My score was 1
What was your score? Discuss your reasons for disagreeing with the statement regarding tests over papers. Why do you prefer papers? What is better about writing papers than taking tests? Why are tests not a good alternative? What do you gain from writing papers that you would not get from taking tests? Are there any personal reasons why you prefer papers over multiple choice or true/false tests? What is your strongest argument in favor of papers? Do you agree with the arguments being made by others in your group? Do you think you are more similar to the people in your group or the people in the other group?
When you have posted your final comment in week one, consider the question once again:
Trident University courses have too many papers. I would much prefer a situation where we had several tests instead of having to write so many papers. Score your agreement with this statement on a scale of 1-8, and keep a record of your score:
1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8
Extremely
Disagree    Strongly
Disagree    Moderately Disagree    Slightly Disagree    Slightly Agree    Moderately Agree    Strongly Agree     Extremely Agree
My score was still a 1
€¢    What was your initial score on the question and what was your score after the small group discussion?
€¢    What causes people to take a more extreme position after the small group discussion?
€¢    How do judgments made by individuals compare to judgments made by a group?
€¢    Does discussion lead groups to make good decisions or bad decisions?
€¢    Do some research on one of the following topics: Risky Shift, Cautious Shift, Group Think, Group Polarization, Abilene Paradox, Social Influence, Social Comparison, Conformity. Would your research shed any light on why the strength of people’s opinions changes after group discussion? Explain.
€¢    How can you prevent these types of decision biases?
€¢    How can you use polarization to your advantage?