Chapters 5-8 COMM 132-06

the steps involved in the technique of brainwriting, a form of brainstorming in a group

1. each member quietly records as many new and different solutions as possible 2. each group member shares one idea in a round-robin fashion 3. a facilitator posts individual ideas for all members to see

the _____ ______ is designed to help an organization assess how a proposed change or new policy will negatively affect the individuals and groups most involved.

RISK technique

what is essential for divergent thinking?

a climate of safety

consensus decision making is _____

a method of careful, open decision making.

mental steps people take, according to Dewey, in the order they would assist in problem solving

a problem is identified, a problem is defined and described, possible solutions are put forth, potential solutions are evaluated, a decision about what to do is made

an open-minded individual gathers_____

all information that supports all sides of an issue

clarifying the charge means one should understand _____

an assignment exactly as intended

the procedural model of problem solving reminds a group to _____

analyze a problem thoroughly before solving it

the focus group technique is often used to _____

analyze people's interests and values

a technique that focuses on an organization's or a situation's strengths and seeks to build on those strengths is known as

appreciative inquiry

the disadvantage of groups using support systems is that they _____

are less satisfied than face--to-face groups

the amount of authority and the limitations given to a group charged with solving a problem is the ______ __ ________

area of freedom

with reference to evaluating all possible solutions, having an agreed-upon criteria causes _____

arguments to be constructive

the _____ is achieved when the group solution is superior both to the choice of the group's most expert member and to an averaging of opinions of all members

assembly affect

the first step for a group to organize ideas is to ____

assess the information that it already has

_____ is a factor that plays a role in evaluating information

assessment of a source's credibility

the _____ is most important to help groups do a good job of critical thinking

attitude of members

what can be used to tap into a group's creative potential?

brainstorming

what is a popular procedure designed especially to release a group's creativity when group members are generating ideas?

brainstorming

_____, a form of brainstorming, is a technique in which each member of a group quietly records as many new and different solutions as possible

brainwriting

summarizing a problem as a group helps ____

build interdependence between members

members of groups that exhibit high degrees of cohesiveness based on their interpersonal attraction to each other tend to _____

challenge each other less

what is the assigned responsibility and limitations, given by the organization or person who created a group?

charge

for discussions to be effective, a group's discussion question must be ____

clear

the functional theory is called "functional" since it focuses on the _____ functions that must be performed for a group to perform well

communitative

what is one of the best ways to avoid both individual and group tendencies toward premature closure?

conscious participation

the _____ is appropriate when a leader does not have all the information

consultative method

being open-minded helps _____

counter the group tendency of premature closing

____ thinking is intuitive, unsystematic, and spontaneous

creative

excessive critical assessment of ideas prevents the discovery of _____ ideas

creative

_____ is crucial to the "generating and explaining possible solutions" step of the P-MOPS model

creative thinking

what is fostered in small groups when members use imagination, intuition, hunches, insight, and fantasy to devise unusual or innovative solutions?

creative thinking

during the "generating and explaining possible solutions" step of P-MOPS, a group focuses on _____

creatively finding and listing possible solutions

too much ____ prevents critical assessment of ideas

creativity

with reference to problem solving, ______ are statements that set standards and limits for comparing and evaluating ideas

criteria

after brainstorming and incubation of ideas, _____ is used to evaluate each idea and modify them into workable solutions

critical thinking

ideas that are derived solely through intuition need to be examined by _____

critical thinking

problem solving is not identical to ____

decision making

what is is defined explicitly as the act of selecting one or more available options?

decision making

steps in P-MOPS problem solving

describe and analyze a problem, generate and explain all possible solutions, evaluate all solutions, choose the best solution, implement chosen solution

in this phase, group members decide what relationships, structures, and human networks would need to exist for the organization, to which the group belongs, to function the way they know it sometimes functions

design phase

in this phase, the group gets down to business, and the members decide how they will create what they want to achieve, how they will implement their vision, and what relationships they need to create or strengthen

destiny phase

with reference to the characteristics of a problem, a complicated task has many ____

dimensions

in this phase, group members are asked to share stories about what currently works well for the group

discover phase

what is the central problem, question, or issue a group must answer?

discussion question

during ____ thinking, members should think as differently as possible from one another

divergent

too many members open to experience can cause a group to get lost in _____

divergent ideas

when there are too many members open to experience what can cause the group to get lost in?

divergent ideas

in this phase, group members are asked to visualize a future in which the best of what they have discovered could exist routinely

dream phase

what is NOT permitted during brainstorming?

evaluating

what is the most crucial step in the critical thinking process?

evaluation of available information

creativity involves the...

extension of new ideas

the difference between a statement of fact and statements of opinion or inference is recognized based on that _____

fact

what are descriptions that can be verified by observations and are not arguable?

facts

most speakers and writers often make a variety of common reasoning errors called _____ that makes assessing reasoning challenging

fallacies

what are mistakes in reasoning and faulty reasoning?

fallacies

true or false: critical thinking is the same as creative thinking

false

true or false: the focus group technique is a procedure that can be used only at the initial step of the problem-solving process

false

P-MOPS is a _____ framework that can guide the each phase of problem solving

flexible

what technique encourages unstructured discussion about a given topic?

focus group

the ____ _____ describes how communication helps or hinders group problem solving and decision making

functional theory

during brainstorming, members should stay focused on _____

generating ideas

in a focus group discussion, the facilitator _____

gives a topic to a group and allows them to discuss the topic any way they choose

decision emergence may begin in the third step of the P-MOPS model, as members _____

gradually move toward a consensus on one proposal

the assembly affect is when the whole is _______ than the sum parts

greater

in brainstorming, all ideas are recorded on paper or electronically so that the _____

group can see them

_____ needs to be facilitated in order to discover innovative solutions to a problem

group creativity

what are computer technologies designed to improve the quality and speed of group problem solving?

group support systems

brainstorming consciously separates _____ by not allowing any criticism to occur while the group is generating ideas.

idea creation by idea evaluation

group support systems exist to help groups with tasks such as _____

idea generation

in the case of a large problem, summarization of the problem by a group is done _____

in writing by one member and edited by the entire group

what is an important feature of creative thinking that allows diverse ideas to find their connection?

incubation

what can have serious limitations for group problem solving if one does not also use a systematic procedure for checking out the hunch?

intuition

the area of freedom for a fact-finding group would be to ____

investigate a problem

the first phase of problem solving in P-MOPS requires nothing more than sharing the ____ group members possess

knowledge

the advantage of groups using support systems is that they _____

make better decisions

the most important attitude necessary for group critical thinking is the desire to _____

make the best possible decision

being ______ ______ is being willing to consider new information and ideas, even if they contradict previous beliefs

open-minded

critical thinkers are ______ individuals

open-minded

______, unlike facts, are not all equal, although everyone has an equal right to express them.

opinions

_____ go beyond what was observed directly and imply some degree of probability or uncertainty

opinions/inferences

decision making does not involve creating possible ____

options

one skill essential to critical thinking is the ability to ____

organize ideas

what is a conclusion that is not supported by enough data?

overgeneralization

seeing ideas often trigger other ideas and prevents _____

premature closure of the creative process

the creative thinking procedure starts with _____

previewing the spirit of the procedure

_______ refers to the difference between what one wants or expects and what actually is the case

problem

every issue or complication has three components that together create what is commonly called a(n) _____

problem

what is everything an individual needs to do to move from his or her present undesirable situation to what he or she wants, including creating solutions and choosing among them?

problem solving

the _____ is favored because it focuses a group's attention on the essential tasks outlined by the functional theory

procedural model of problem solving

what is the goal in brainstorming?

quantity of ideas

____ helps consider problem solving as a systematic process

reflective thinking

_____ refers to the complimenting and back patting that members give each other after a job well done

reinforcement

creative individuals violate ____

social norms

a procedure designed to stimulate creative thinking in metaphors

synectics

cohesiveness based on _____ is not related to groupthink

tasks

the best brainstorming occurs when _____

the fewest words are spoken

difficult tasks are more often given to groups because ____

they require extensive deliberation

during the first of the P-MOPS, the group concentrates on _____

thoroughly understanding a problem

true or false: generalizations by themselves are not automatically wrong

true