article · Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series · 2025
Serial position effect in group decision-making
Bartłomiej Bindas, Krzysztof Kontek, Independent researcher, Michał Ramsza, Honorata Sosnowska
Cited by 0Open access
Abstract
Purpose: The paper investigates the presence of the serial position effect in group decision- making. The aim is to explore how this cognitive phenomenon, known for enhanced recall of items at the beginning (primacy) and end (recency) of a sequence, may affect outcomes in collective evaluations. Design/methodology/approach: The study examines voting methods commonly employed in classical music competitions, sports, and project evaluations, some of which are specifically designed to reduce manipulation or the influence of outliers. An experimental procedure was implemented in which participants ranked an identical set of alternatives twice, with the order of presentation systematically varied between rounds. Statistical analyses, including Kendall tau, swap distance, and transposition distance, were used to compare voting outcomes between rounds. The research is situated within the fields of behavioral economics and social choice theory. Findings: The results demonstrate that the serial position effect influences the tested voting methods, although the impact is not consistent across all methods. Research limitations/implications: The primary limitation of the study is the exclusive use of economics students as participants. Future research should include individuals with backgrounds in music or sports to provide a broader perspective. Practical implications: The findings provide practical guidance for designing equitable and robust voting systems in contexts such as classical music and sports competitions. Originality/value: This study introduces a novel perspective by examining the serial position effect in group decision-making. The analysis is relevant both to researchers in social choice theory and behavioral economics and to practitioners involved in developing voting rules for competitions. Keywords: serial position effect, group decision-making, voting methods, experiment. Category of the paper: Research paper.
Cite this paper
Bindas, B., Kontek, K., researcher, I., Ramsza, M., & Sosnowska, H. (2025). Serial position effect in group decision-making. Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series, 2025(234), 23–54. https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2025.234.2
Bindas, Bartłomiej, et al. “Serial position effect in group decision-making.” Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series, vol. 2025, no. 234, 2025, pp. 23–54, https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2025.234.2.
Bindas, Bartłomiej, Krzysztof Kontek, Independent researcher, Michał Ramsza, and Honorata Sosnowska. 2025. “Serial position effect in group decision-making.” Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series 2025 (234): 23–54. https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2025.234.2.
Bindas, B. et al. (2025) ‘Serial position effect in group decision-making’, Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series, 2025(234), pp. 23–54. Available at: https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2025.234.2.
@article{bindas2025serial,
title = {{Serial position effect in group decision-making}},
author = {Bindas, Bartłomiej and Kontek, Krzysztof and researcher, Independent and Ramsza, Michał and Sosnowska, Honorata},
journal = {Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology Organization and Management Series},
volume = {2025},
number = {234},
pages = {23--54},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.29119/1641-3466.2025.234.2}
}Made from the index record. Check names, capitalisation and page numbers against the paper. Need another style? AI for Research has over 10,000.