Dominance in Groups: How Dyadic Power Theory Can Apply to Group Discussions

Power is an integral part of group dynamics and when deception is involved, it affects the process of group decision-making as well as the outcomes of those decisions. We examined 95 groups playing a popular party card game called Mafia in which some players were randomly assigned the role of Spies, and others, the role of Villagers. Spies concealed their identity and deceived the other naive players (the Villagers), who were assumed to be truthful. Data were collected from University students around the world, including in Israel, Singapore, Hong Kong, Fiji, Zambia, and three locations within the U.S. The results revealed differences in the way that players from those different cultural locations exhibited dominance and rated the trustworthiness of other players. In general, more dominant players were seen as more trustworthy, although that was moderated by the cultural location. Spies (deceivers) were viewed as less dominant than Villagers (truth-tellers). Males were rated as more dominant, especially when in the Spy role. The implications for this study on the study of groups and power relations among group members are discussed.