Abstract

The experimental investigations presented in the article answer two questions: 1. Are group decisions in situations of undertaking problems more venturesome (show a higher level of aspirations) than individual decisions?, 2. Is the effectiveness of group or individual problem solving dependent on the kind of problem to be solved? 1200 people were tested; 30 groups of boys and 30 groups of girls aged 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 30 boys and 30 girls of the same age. The subjects solved 5 types of problems: mathematical, target tracking, mazes, building blocks, stringing beads. Each type contained tasks of 5 various stages of difficulty: very easy, easy, medium, difficult and very difficult. It was found out that in all problem situations the groups made more venturesome decisions (revealed a higher level of aspirations) in comparison with the subjects who made decisions individually. A considerable divergence also occured between the level of aspirations and the level of achievements, in the groups as well as among the individuals. The investigations proved that the type of problem situation influenced in a considerable way the level of aspirations and even more the level of achievements. The realization of problems depends largely on whether they are solved collectively or individually.