Rate of participation and expertise as factors influencing leader choice

Seventy-two female subjects were placed in four-person problem-solving groups. A confederate in each group was identified as either expert or inexpert, made expert or inexpert contributions, and either talked a lot or relatively little. The problem was made high or low in ambiguity. It was hypothesized that, as previous studies have shown, a high rate of participation would influence choice of the confederate as leader in the inexpert condition but that talkativeness would not be influential in the expert condition. The results supported the hypothesis. The characteristics of the confederate were somewhat less influential when the problem was low in ambiguity. The results were discussed in terms of what talkativeness may signify to other group members. When talkativeness is not resisted by the group it is tentative evidence that the talker is perceived as an appropriate, qualified, and legitimate leader.