What feature of the study indicates that it is an experimental design?

A research team observed a software development team over six months, tracking individual productivity metrics. When team members worked on projects independently, the average lines of code produced per person was 340 per week. When the same individuals worked on group projects with five or more team members, productivity dropped to 210 lines of code per person per week, despite having the same time available. Which concept best explains this productivity decline?

A study examined decision-making in corporate strategy meetings. Researchers recorded the diversity of viewpoints expressed before and after group discussions. Before discussion, the average number of distinct strategic perspectives per meeting was 7.2. After 30 minutes of group discussion, this number decreased to 4.1. Additionally, the intensity of support for the initially dominant strategy increased from 62% to 89% of participants. Which group phenomenon does this data pattern best illustrate?

A study examined jury deliberations in mock trials. Before discussion, jurors' guilty/not guilty votes were distributed as: 8 guilty, 4 not guilty. After 45 minutes of group discussion, the distribution shifted to: 11 guilty, 1 not guilty. Additionally, jurors who initially voted guilty expressed stronger confidence in their verdict (from 6.8 to 8.2 on a 10-point scale), while the single juror voting not guilty reported feeling pressured to reconsider. Which group phenomenon is most clearly demonstrated?

A study tracked individual contributions to a shared research project across different team sizes. In a two-person team, each member contributed an average of 18 hours per week. In a four-person team, each member contributed 14 hours per week. In an eight-person team, each member contributed 9 hours per week. Team members reported that with more people involved, they felt their individual contribution was less critical to the project's success. Which concept best explains this pattern of decreasing individual effort?

A survey of employees across departments of varying sizes asked: 'Do you think most employees at this company support flexible work schedules?' In a small department (12 employees) where 75% actually supported flexible schedules, 82% of employees believed most colleagues agreed with them. In a large department (120 employees) where 75% actually supported flexible schedules, 68% of employees believed most colleagues agreed with them. Which cognitive bias does this pattern illustrate?

A study examined decision-making in investment committees of different sizes. Before meeting, committee members individually ranked five investment proposals. The initial rankings showed moderate diversity, with no single proposal receiving unanimous top ranking. After committee discussion, the proposal that received the most initial support (ranked first by 6 of 10 members) became even more dominant, with 9 of 10 members ranking it first after discussion. Additionally, members who initially ranked it lower reported increased confidence in its superiority. Which group phenomenon does this pattern best demonstrate?

A workplace study tracked individual task completion rates on a complex project. When employees worked independently, the average completion rate was 89%. When employees worked in small groups (3-4 people) where individual contributions were clearly identifiable, the completion rate was 86%. When employees worked in large groups (8-10 people) where individual contributions were difficult to identify, the completion rate dropped to 62%. Which phenomenon best explains the dramatic drop in performance in large groups?

A study of online discussion forums examined how group size affected opinion diversity. In a forum with 20 active members discussing climate policy, members expressed an average of 6.8 distinct policy perspectives per discussion thread. In a forum with 200 active members discussing the same topic, members expressed an average of 4.2 distinct perspectives per thread. In a forum with 2,000 active members, only 2.1 distinct perspectives appeared per thread. Additionally, support for the initially dominant perspective increased from 58% in the small forum to 84% in the large forum. Which group phenomenon is illustrated by this pattern?

A study examined individual performance on a routine assembly task in groups of varying sizes. In pairs, workers completed an average of 47 units per hour. In groups of four, workers completed 38 units per hour per person. In groups of eight, workers completed 28 units per hour per person. When researchers asked workers why their individual output decreased, workers in larger groups reported that 'my effort doesn't matter as much' and 'others will pick up the slack.' Which concept best explains this pattern of decreasing individual productivity?