Chapter 8 - Essay

Question 1

Explain the role of evaluation apprehension in both social facilitation and social loafing.

Answer 1

social facilitation effect:

• The tendency of people to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when others are present
• In its current meaning, it refers to the strengthening of dominant responses in the presence of others.

Question 2

“Self-awareness is the opposite of deindividuation.” Explain this statement.

Answer 2

…

Question 3

Describe how normative and informational influence can help us understand group polarization.

Answer 3

…

Question 4

You are in a group with the task of brainstorming a solution to a problem. How could you enhance your group’s task?

Answer 4

…

Question 5

Describe the ways to prevent groupthink.

Answer 5

…

Question 6

Compare and contrast task leadership and social leadership, and give an example of each.

Answer 6

…

Question 7

Social loafing

Answer 7

refers to the fact that when people work together toward a common goal, they tend to put in less effort than when they work on their own.

Question 8

Groupthink

Answer 8

• People’s way of thinking when they want to get along with other people
• People think in this way when they want to be part of a group that is close together so much that they don’t think realistically about other options.
• People who are obsessed with keeping things harmonious, or “groupthink,” are likely to believe they are invincible, rationalize things, and think the group is morally right.
• They also tend to think the opposition is bad, and they try to keep their own thoughts under wraps.
• In research on group problem solving, it is thought that groups can be more accurate than individuals. Groups also come up with more and better ideas if the group is small or if individual brainstorming comes after the group session.

Question 9

Deindividuation

Answer 9

an unusual, deviant, and sometimes violent behavior when people think they can’t be identified by the people around them (e.g., in groups and crowds and on the Internet)

Ex. There are people who specialize in clinical depression and suicidal thoughts. Dave is one of them. The next day, he is walking home from work and sees a group of 20 people who are all looking up at the sky. He joins the group and sees a person on the roof of a 30-story building, who looks like he’s about to jump. In the middle of the crowd, someone starts chanting “jump.” There are then about twenty more of them who join in. Dave is also one of them!

Question 10

Pluralistic Ignorance

Answer 10

Is the incorrect idea that one’s own attitudes are different from the majority’s attitudes, and so one goes along with what they think other people think.

Ex. Sally has a crush on Billy but is afraid to ask him out because she does not think he is interested in her. Billy has a crush on Sally but hasn’t asked for her phone number because he thinks she’ll say “no.”