| Abstract: | This study set out to investigate whether the risky shaft found in group consensus decisions as compared to group members' personal decisions extends to situations that combine risk and aggression. In a between-subjects design, subjects were exposed, either alone or as members of unisex triads, to an experimental task in which the risk entailed severe noxious consequences. The findings show that for both sexes, groups take significantly greater risks than individuals even when risk taking is mediated by aggressive means. The results are seen and discussed as limiting the explanatory scope of the risk-as-a-value hypothesis and as more consistent with the diffusion of responsibility hypothesis. |
