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Marcus Skupin-Alfa

[Person] [Project]

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Markus Skupin-Alfa, Dipl. Psych.

Short Vita

1971:

Born in Lome (Togo).

1991-1997:

Study of Psychology at the University of Tübingen (Germany).

1997 - 1999:

Research assistant at the Department "Applied Cognitive Science" at the German Institute for Research on Distance Education (DIFF) at the University of Tübingen.

1999:

Graduate student of the VGK.

Since 1999:

MI Specialist at IBM Germany.

Contact

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Ph.D. Project

Topic: Majority composition of individuals and arguments in discussion groups and presentation format of discussion groups as determinants of confidence in decisions

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedrich Hesse (Tübingen)

Start/End of the project: 1999

Summary

Research distinguishes between a systematic and a heuristic view of information processing and assumes that high confidence is a result of systematic processing. Although there is evidence in current research which indicates that there is a possibility of bolstering confidence via heuristic processing, most approaches neglect this possibility. In order to provide an exploratory test of the idea that heuristic cues as the majority composition of individuals and arguments could affect the confidence in decisions, people are to attend a discussion which is presented as a text or a video. The major hypothesis is that heuristic information processing will affect the amount of confidence subjects have in their decisions and that this effect will be mediated by the salience of heuristic cues (number of individuals; number of arguments) which in turn vary by the medium of presentation (text vs. video).

References:

Chaiken, S., Liberman, A., and Eagly, A.H. (1989). Heuristic and Systematic Information Processing within and beyond the Persuasion Context. In J.S. Uleman and J.A. Bargh (Eds.), Unintended Thought (pp. 212-252). New York: Guilford Press.

Mackie, D. (1987). Systematic and Nonsystematic Processing of Majority and Minority Persuasive Communications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53 (1), 41-52.

Schwan, S. (1997). Media Characteristics and Knowledge Acquisition in Computer Conferencing. European Psychologist, 2 (3), 277-285.

Zarnoth, P. and Sniezek, J.A. (1997). The Social Influence of Confidence in Group Decision Making. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 33, 345-366.

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Last update: 5 Dec 2002, Erik Ründal
URL: www.vgk.de/projects/skupin/index.html