Size, performance, and potential in brainstorming groups

Abstract

168 male undergraduates served as Ss. Using a 3 * 2 * 2 factorial design, 5-, 7-, and 9-man brainstorming groups were compared to "nominal" groups, composed of Ss who brainstormed alone. The 3rd factor was the use of 2 Es (a male and a female). The criterion was total number of nonoverlapping ideas produced in each of the conditions. There was no main effect due to Es nor any interactions. As expected, there was a significant effect due to size and type of group. The larger groups produced more ideas and the nominal groups were more effective than the brainstorming groups. Contrary to the prediction that the nominal and brainstorming groups would converge as size increased, they diverged and the interaction was significant. It is concluded that group brainstorming, over a wide range of group sizes, inhibits rather than facilitates creative thinking, and pooled individual effort is a more productive procedure than group effort. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)