Date of Award

Fall 2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Ivan Ash

Committee Member

Valerian J. Derlega

Committee Member

Louis Janda

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65 T564 2009

Abstract

This study examined how working within a group versus working alone affects creative problem solving and what role gender plays in influencing problem solving performance. Previous studies yielded contradictory predictions of whether working in a group improves or impedes creative problem solving performance and whether gender has an effect on problem solving efficiency of a group. I proposed that contradictory results of the previous studies might have been due to the gender by group interaction. Two hundred and six Old Dominion University undergraduate students participated in this study. A 2 (groups vs. individual) X 3 (gender group composition) X 2 (problem type) ANOVA was used to analyze the data The results of the study showed that males and females were affected differently by gender group composition: all-female groups exchanged more interaction and offered more problem solving suggestions than did all-male or mixed-gender groups, thus taking longer to solve problems than all-male and mixed-gender groups or individual performers. Females working with other females offered more problem-solving suggestions and had more interactions than when working with a male. The study did not find any difference between individual and group performance.

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DOI

10.25777/6nz8-pt78

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