The Structure of Collective Intelligence: Evidence for Collective Memory, Attention, and Reasoning

The ability for groups to effectively collaborate is important for both economic and societal progress. Extant research has demonstrated that group performance can be explained by a general "collective intelligence" (CI) factor, but there is ongoing debate about the components of CI with important implications for our understanding of how it develops or can be enhanced. We conduct a meta-analysis with data from 22 studies and 5,279 individuals in 1,356 groups to investigate the structure of collective intelligence using factor analysis. Our analysis yields strong support for a hierarchical three-factor model, supporting a theory that collective intelligence emerges from collective memory, attention, and reasoning. The model explains the data better than other plausible alternatives, especially in established groups who had the opportunity to develop their collective cognition over time. Our findings provide new insights into the formation of collective intelligence and have important implications for the design and evaluation of interventions that aim to increase it.