This was the third of three experiments designed to study the reciprocal relationship between family interaction and individual thinking. The present experiment was developed to test a family’s efficiency in exchanging information within itself. In particular, it tested how well members utilized minimal cues about the informational needs of others in their family. We studied families of normals, those with character disorders, and schizophrenics, five families in each group. On the basis of previous experiments we expected families of normals and schizophrenics to be highly sensitive to cues from within the family. We expected both groups to exchange information efficiently by elaborating ways of ordering messages using only subtle cues that could convey each member’s informational needs. The findings, in general, confirmed the expectations. Taking these with the results of the first experiment, we suggested that our families of schizophrenics appeared to represent a group of families who effectively utilize cues from within but not without the family. This may lead them to overvalue ideas and opinions of family members and undervalue cues from the external environment in their collaborative solutions of externally given problems. © Williams & Wilkins 1969. All Rights Reserved.
