The perceived importance model of group decision making: Interdependent information, hidden profiles, assignment of expertise, and time pressure

Information known to only one team member can be a critical resource in group decision making, but studies have found that this information is often not mentioned to the team. The Perceived Importance Model of team decision making is presented, which asserts that perceptions of the importance of information items influence individual decision accuracy, discussion content, and team decision accuracy. An experiment was conducted which tested the model by manipulating information distributions and time pressure. In contrast to most hidden profile research, which downplays interactions among information items, hidden profile distributions involving interrelated information items were used in the experiment. The results supported the model. It was found that the effect of time pressure on team decision accuracy was mediated by perceptions of the importance of unshared information items. Assignment of expertise to team members minimized the negative effects of time pressure on team decision accuracy. The association between perceptions of importance and discussion content was shown to moderate the accuracy of predictions made by the Collective Information Sampling model (Stasser & Titus, 1987). The results were interpreted as supporting an explanation-based perspective on decision making, which holds that decisions are based on mental models constructed by decision makers. Perceptions of importance are derived from these models, and provide information about the thought processes of decision makers.