Collective intelligence can predict a group’s ability to learn and apply new material quickly and effectively, and to score well on group assignments, regardless of the members’ scores on individual assignments. Higher collective intelligence also means group members are better able to predict other members’ thoughts and choices.

Albion College

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

In this study, collective intelligence is defined as a specific group’s ability to perform well across a range of different tasks. Overall cognitive diversity, group interaction, communication, and individual skills, like social perceptiveness, can be seen to influence Collective Intelligence. The collective intelligence of a group is a significant predictor of its performance on these tasks, while the average individual intelligence of group members is, surprisingly, not. Overall, collective intelligence is thought to emerge from both bottom-up and top-down processes. These processes can either be beneficial or detrimental to group performance.  

Collective Intelligence's predictability on Group Performance

Woolley, A. W., Aggarwal, I., & Malone, T. W. (2015). Collective Intelligence and Group Performance. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24(6), 420–424. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721415599543

Collective Intelligence and Group Performance

What collective intelligence predicts

Key unresolved questions in the study of collective intelligence include its temporal stability—specifically, how long collective intelligence lasts within a group—and whether a group's collective intelligence can be deliberately increased.

Learn Before

Related