Chapter 12 Of Textbook Flashcards
(28 cards)
Social facilitation
Initially a term for enhanced performance in the presence of others; now a broader term for the effect, positive or negative, of the presence of others on performance
Dominant response
In a person’s hierarchy of possible responses in any context, the response that person is most likely to make
Evaluation apprehension
People’s concern about how they might appear in the eyes of others, or be evaluated by them
Social loafing
The tendency to exert less effort when working on a group task in which individual contributions cannot be monitored
Groupthink
Faulty thinking by members of highly cohesive groups in which the critical scrutiny that should be devoted to the issues at hand is subverted by social pressures to reach consensus
Self-censorship
Withholding information or opinions in group discussions
Group polarization
The tendency for group decisions to be more extreme than those made by individuals; whatever way the group as a whole is leaning, group discussion tends to make it lean further in that direction
Power
The ability to control one’s own outcomes and those of others; the freedom to act
Status
The outcome of an evaluation of attributed that produces differences in respect and prominence
Authority
Power that derives from institutionalized role or arrangements
Dominance
Behavior enacted with the goal of acquiring or demonstrating power
Approach/inhibition theory
A theory maintaining that high-power individuals are inclined to go after their goals and make quick (and sometimes rash) judgements, whereas low-power individuals are more likely to constrain their behavior and pay careful attention to others
Deindividuation
A reduced sense of individual identity accompanied by diminished self-regulation that can come over people when they are in a large group
Individuation
An enhanced sense of individual identity produced by focusing attention on the self, which generally leads people to act carefully and deliberately and in accordance with their sense of propriety and values
Self-awareness theory
A theory maintaining that when people focus their attention inward on themselves, they become concerned with self-evaluation and how their current behavior conforms to their internal standards and values
Spotlight effect
People’s conviction that other people are paying attention to them (to their appearance and behavior) more than they actually are
The Nature and Purpose of Group Living
Human beings, like all large primates except the orangutan, are group-living animals who influence, and must get along with, others.
What are social facilitation and social loafing?
Social Facilitation refers to the positive or negative effect that the presence of others has on performance.
Social loafing is the tendency to exert less effort on a group task when individual contributions cannot be monitored.
What is group decision making affected by?
Group decision making is affected by how cohesive a group is, how directive its leader is, and by ingroup pressures that can lead to the rejection of alternative viewpoints and to self-censorship, the tendency to refrain from expressing reservations in the face of apparent group consensus.
According to approach/inhibition theory, people in elevated positions of power look at the environment…
in terms of how they can satisfy their personal desires and act in disinhibited ways, sometimes leading to excesses and abuses.
Why do large groups sometimes transform into unruly mobs?
the anonymity and diffusion of responsibility people feel in large groups can lead to a mental state of dein-dividuation, in which they are less concerned with the future, with normal societal constraints on behavior, and with the consequences of their actions.
Open-plan offices, where large communal desks are used in place of private rooms or cubicles, are becoming increasingly popular. From the perspective of Zajonc’s social facilitation theory, do you think open-plan offices are likely to facilitate or hinder performance and productivity? Why or why not? How might it depend on the type of work being conducted?
According to Zajonc’s social facilitation theory, the presence of others tends to increase physiological arousal, which facilitates performance on well-learned, reflexive tasks but can impair performance on more complex tasks. Open-plan offices may therefore facilitate performance and productivity for employees who work at simple, repetitive tasks, whereas they may hinder performance for those who work on novel, unpredictable, and highly challenging tasks. For the latter group, private rooms may be more beneficial.
Can you think of any examples in your own life where groupthink has taken place? What factors contributed to groupthink in these situations? What kinds of safeguards could you put in place in similar future situations to promote better decision making?
Examples relevant to students could involve decisions made by a close group of friends, a student organization, a sports team, or a group working on a project together. Factors that can contribute to groupthink include the presence of a strong leader, a sense of invulnerability and moral superiority, a narrow consideration of alternatives, and self-censorship of important information and conflicting viewpoints for fear of disrupting group harmony, Approaches that have been shown to reduce groupthink include designating”devil’s advocates” to take alternative positions and point our weaknesses in the plan, welcoming outside input to protect against insularity, and having group leaders refrain from making their opinions or preferences known at the beginning of the discussion.
Suppose your company is trying to decide whether to make a risky new hire. Individually, most of the members of the hiring team lean toward hiring the candidate, as it could substantially increase revenues if it works out. When the hiring team gets together to discuss the potential hire, how might you predict that the attitudes of the individuals in the group will shift? What decision is likely to be made?
In the hiring decision example, individuals are already leaning in favor of the risky hire, so the group discussion is likely to polarize individuals further in the direction of the hire and increase the likelihood that the hire will be made. Group polarization may be due in part to exposure to additional persuasive arguments from others and in part to the desire to measure up favorably in comparison with others (that is, to appear even more comfortable with risk than others if riskiness is valued).
