group processes

Question 1

define group

Answer 1

3 or more people who depend on one another in that their interactions are driven by needs/goals

Question 2

what are the 3 perceptions of being in a group?

Answer 2

1. triggers need for acceptance
2. triggers host of social motives (eg. reciprocity, conformity, respect for authority)
3. changes behaviours (eg. sharing/keeping info)

Question 3

why are important decisions in today’s world made by groups?

Answer 3

we assume that task is handled better by group than a single person

Question 4

why do humans get into groups?

Answer 4

1. practicality (job better than in group than individual)
2. fulfill basic human needs (substantial survival and reproductive advantage)
   - hunt, farm, defend, mate, care
   - need for social connection and belongingness
   - resolve ambiguities in social world
   - helps define who we are and who we are not

Question 5

what were some properties of a group in the past, now changed due to technology?

Answer 5

• most groups had trackable number of members (large group - difficult to interact w everyone - emergence of freeriders)
• group members tended to be homogenous (in age/gendere/attitudes/beliefs)

Question 6

a property of today’s groups is_______.

Answer 6

cohesiveness

Question 7

define group cohesiveness

Answer 7

extent to which group members experience emotional bonds w one another

Question 8

what kind of group would be more cohesive than what kind?

Answer 8

groups that stem from social reasons would be more cohesive than those stemming from practicality/financial reasons

eg. meet up for games vs HDB assembly meetings

Question 9

the more cohesive the group is, the higher the chance members would _________ in the group and __________ to group activities.

Answer 9

stay; contribute

Question 10

what is the bright side of cohesiveness?

Answer 10

when task requires close cooperation

Question 11

when task requires cooperation, list 3 reasons why having a cohesive group would be effective?

Answer 11

• curbs selfishness
• helps distribute hardship among members
• fuels motivation to achieve collective goal
• boosts overall performance

Question 12

what are 2 dark sides of cohesiveness?

Answer 12

1. when group is too cohesive and focus shifts to harmony instead of task at hand, cohesiveness interferes with optimal performance
2. when talented members fail to convince group members that they are right, because group members:
   - refuse to admit they are wrong, and
   - refuse to change and want to stick to whatever has been working. (status-quo bias)

Question 13

what is process loss?

Answer 13

any action or tendency of a group that inhibits effective problem solving

Question 14

process loss occurs when group members fails to share ________ and explore __________.

Answer 14

share; possibilities

Question 15

what are 3 reasons for process loss in a group?

Answer 15

1. incompetent members
2. reluctant to challenge expert
3. experts don’t do enough to encourage voices from members
4. competent members find it hard to disagree w everyone else
5. members focus on info they share, ignore facts known to only some members

** some of these reasons get worse when a group discussion is dominated by a member, leaving others quiet

Question 16

define groupthink

Answer 16

when desire for harmony/conformity looms larger than concern for making good decisions

Question 17

groupthink is common is groups that are:

Answer 17

1. highly cohesive
2. isolated from contrary opinions
3. ruled by directive leader who makes his/her wishes known

Question 18

suggest 3 ways to fend off groupthink.

Answer 18

1. remain impartial
2. outside opinions
3. create subgroups
4. seek anonymous opinions
5. assign devil’s advocate

**devil’s advocate - someone who, given an argument, takes position they don’t agree w for the sake of debate

Question 19

define group polarization

Answer 19

tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than initial inclinations of its members (occurs when groupthink happens)

Question 20

what are the 2 explanations for group polarization?

Answer 20

1. persuasive arguments explanation
   when members pool arguments tgt, some may turn out to strengthen the initial view because they have not been considered by group initially
2. social comparison explanation
   in order to appear useful, many people take a position that is similar to everyone else’s, but a little more extreme. snowballs into chain reaction which an initial position is supported by group members in incremental manner

Question 21

doing something in the presence of others can mean 2 things that lead to social facilitation. what are they?

Answer 21

1. others doing same thing as you
2. audience

Question 22

in social facilitation, if a task is easy, the mere presence of others __________ performance.

Answer 22

improves

Question 23

what 2 experiments find that if task is easy/well-learned, presence of others improves performance?

Answer 23

1. cockroach experiment (zajonc, 1965)
   - shone torch at cockroach so it runs an easy maze
   - no audience - slower
   - audience - faster
2. winding-the-wheel experiment (triplett, 1898)

Question 24

in social facilitation, in the presence of others, when a task is difficult, our performance ________.

Answer 24

worsens

Question 25

why do easy and difficult tasks in presence of others lead to different performances?

Answer 25

1. presence of others increases physiological arousal
2. arousal affects dominant and non-dominant responses.
   - performing dominant response benefits from feeling tensed
   - performing non-dominant response suffers from feeling tensed

Question 26

why do we feel aroused when others are present?

Answer 26

1. become alert of potential threat/competition (fight or flight)
2. feels like we are being evaluated (hyped)

**these 2 reasons are separate and can work tgt to induce arousal

Question 27

define social loafing

Answer 27

tendency to do worse on simple tasks but better on complex tasks in the presence of others when individual performance cannot be evaluated

Question 28

which experiment studies social loafing?

Answer 28

rope pulling study (ringelmann, 1913)

Question 29

what is the result of the rope pulling study (ringelmann, 1913)?

Answer 29

when a group pulled on a rope, each person pulled less hard than when they were doing it alone

Question 30

social facilitation vs social loafing

Answer 30

social facilitation is the tendency to do better on easy tasks and worse on complex tasks in the presence of others when individual performance can be evaluated causing arousal in the performer.

social loafing is the tendency to do worse on easy tasks and better on difficult tasks in the presence of others when individual performance cannot be evaluated causing relaxation in the performer.

Question 31

what is deindividuation?

Answer 31

loosening of normal constraints on behaviours when people cannot be differentiated in a group, leading to impulsive and deviant acts

Question 32

why isn’t deindividuation the same as conformity?

Answer 32

conformity includes socially positive or neutral behaviours while deindividuation only includes impulsive and deviant behaviours.

Question 33

what causes deindividuation?

Answer 33

people feel less accountable because being in a group:

1. reduces likelihood of being singled out and blamed (anonymity)
2. creates the feeling that we are only following the group norm