Systematic biases have been found in both individual and group judgments, calling for research into debiasing approaches. Although individual debiasing has been studied to some extent, no such effort exists for group debiasing. This paper advocates the use of group support systems (GSS) for group debiasing and presents a theoretical perspective on how this debiasing may be achieved. Special attention is paid to two important judgment biases: representativeness bias and availability bias. A research model is developed from which propositions are derived.
This paper provides an overview of the existing negotiation literature under the headings of game theory, economic models, political models, and social-psychological models. Inferring from the review the need for computer support for negotiation, the paper then proposes a theory for understanding the effects due to a support system in a two-party, monolithic, and multiple-issue setting. The theory conceptualizes a negotiation support system as consisting of individual decision support systems interconnected with an electronic communication channel; accordingly, it postulates two sets of effects, one owing to the decision aid, and the other to the communication support.