The Japanese Society for Cognitive Psychology

Previous studies have shown that people can make adaptive inferences based on memory-based simple heuristics such as recognition, fluency, or familiarity heuristic. In the present study, we discussed the adaptive nature of memory-based simple heuristics in a group decision making setting. In particular, we examined how the diversity of memory affected group decision making. We predicted that, when the group members’ memories were diverse, group decision making would become more accurate. To examine this prediction, we conducted a behavioral experiment and computer simulations, and our results generally supported the prediction. These results suggested that diversity of memory in group members can boost performance of group decision making.