Effects of Sensory Experience on Group Decision Making

Effects of sensory experiences on social influence processes in decision-making groups are explored. In two experiments, members of three-person groups selected auditory samples such as background music for a hotel. While all members had access to written descriptions of the auditory samples, one designated member could also listen to the auditory samples (member with sensory experience). Experienced members exerted more influence on group decisions than inexperienced members. Exploratory analyses revealed that experienced members’ narratives were perceived as more credible, but not more vivid than those of inexperienced members. A linguistic analysis of group discussions showed that members with sensory experience used more auditory words and metaphors than inexperienced members. Future directions to study the role of sensory experience in group decision making are discussed.