Chapter 22. Group Think and the Challenger

22.1 Group Think and the Challenger

Group Think and the Challenger

Short Description

In 1986, NASA launched the 25th space shuttle mission with the space shuttle Challenger. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, disaster struck. The space shuttle exploded with millions of people – mostly school aged children – watching. Follow-up investigation showed that the decision making process resulted in not listening to concerns about the flaw that caused the explosion. This video shows a recreation to the decision process and how groupthink may have played a role.

Long Description


After you've watched the video, click the link below to answer questions about what you've learned.
Video Assessment Quiz

Questions

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1. What was the main factor that was the cause of the malfunctioning rocket?

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2. What was the problem with the O-rings in launch?

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3. Boisjoly sent a memo to his superiors explaining the danger of the O rings. Why didn’t it help?

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4. Why did NASA disagree with the concerns that Thiokol brought up in the conference call?

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5. The teleconference between NASA and Thiokol lasted many hours. According to groupthink theory, how might this have resulted in a poor decision?

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6. What event in the video is a classic example of suppression of dissent in groupthink situations?

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7. The teleconference in the video is a classic example of groupthink because?

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