Is Exposure to the Memories of Others a Necessary Precondition for Collaborative Inhibition?

In recall tasks, pooled individual productivity is generally greater than collaborative productivity, an effect called collaborative inhibition. This effect is believed to be caused by disruption of individual organizational strategies in the collaborative context due to exposure to the memories of others. The present study directly tested the exposure explanation. Three-person groups viewed a slide presentation and later recalled the content first as individuals, and subsequently as groups that were either exposed or not exposed to the memories of others. Results show that shielding participants from the contributions of others did not eliminate collaborative inhibition. The need to give more research attention to social factors is discussed.