Group Dynamics Ch 1

Question 1

Primary group

Answer 1

A small, long-term group characterized by frequent interaction, solidarity, and high levels of interdependence among members that substantially influences the attitudes, values, and social outcomes of its members.

Question 2

Social group

Answer 2

A relatively small number of individuals who interact with one another over an extended period of time, such as work groups, clubs, and congregations.

Question 3

Collective

Answer 3

A relatively large aggregation or group of individuals who display similarities in actions and outlook. A street crowd, a line of people (a queue), and a panicked group escaping a fire are examples of collectives, as are more widely dispersed groups (e.g., listeners who respond similarly to a public service announcement.

Question 4

Group

Answer 4

Two or more individuals who are connected by
and within social relationships

Question 5

Social Capital

Answer 5

The degree of functional interconnectedness of a group of people thought to promote coordinated action for mutual benefit; analogous to other forms
of capital, such as human or economic capital.

Question 6

Social Category

Answer 6

A perceptual grouping of people who are assumed to be similar to one another in some ways but different in one or more ways, such as all women, the elderly, college students, or all citizens of a specific country.

Question 7

Social Identity

Answer 7

An individual’s sense of self that are assumed to be common to most or all of the members of the same group or social category.

Question 8

Prototypes (or stereotypes)

Answer 8

A socially shared set of
cognitive generalizations (e.g., beliefs, expectations)
about the qualities and characteristics of the typical member of a particular group or social category.

Question 9

Composition

Answer 9

The individuals who constitute a group.

Question 10

Social network

Answer 10

A set of interpersonally interconnected individuals or groups.

Question 11

Task interaction

Answer 11

Actions performed by group members
that pertain to the group’s projects, tasks, and goals.

Question 12

Relationship interaction (Socioemotional interaction)

Answer 12

Actions performed by group
members that relate to or influence the emotional and
interpersonal bonds within the group, including both
positive actions (social support, consideration) and negative actions (criticism, conflict).

Question 13

Interdependence

Answer 13

The state of being dependent to some
degree on other people, as when one’s outcomes,
actions, thoughts, feelings, and experiences are determined in whole or in part by others.

Question 14

Group Structure

Answer 14

The organization of a group, including the members, their interrelations, and their interactions.

Question 15

Role

Answer 15

A coherent set of behaviors expected of people who
occupy specific positions within a group. It is a socially shared set of behaviours, characteristics, and responsibilities expected of people who occupy a particular position or type of position within a group; by enacting roles, individuals establish regular patterns of exchange with one another that increase predictability and social coordination.

Question 16

Norm

Answer 16

A consensual and often implicit standard that
describes what behaviors should and should not be performed in a given context.

Question 17

Group Cohesion

Answer 17

The strength of the bonds linking
individuals to and in the group. The solidarity or unity of a group resulting from the development of strong mutual interpersonal bonds amongst members and group-level forces that unify the group, such as shared commitment to group goals and esprit de corps.

Question 18

Entitativity

Answer 18

As described by Donald Campbell, the
extent to which an assemblage of individuals is perceived
to be a group rather than an aggregation of independent,
unrelated individuals; the quality of being an entity. It is the apparently cohesiveness or unity of an assemblage of individuals; the quality of being a single entity rather than a set of independent, unrelated individuals.

Question 19

Thomas Theorem

Answer 19

The theoretical premise, put forward
by W. I. Thomas, which maintains that an individual’s
understanding of a social situation, even if incorrect, will
determine how he or she will act in the situation; “If
men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences” (Thomas & Thomas, 1928, p. 572).

Question 20

Essentialism

Answer 20

The belief that all things, including individuals and groups, have a basic nature which makes them
what they are and distinguishes them from others; this
basic essence, even though hidden, is relatively unchanging and gives rise to surface-level qualities. A thing’s essence is usually inferred rather than directly observed and is generally assumed to be relatively unchanging.

Question 21

Group Dynamics

Answer 21

The influential actions, processes, and
changes that occur within and between groups over
time; also, the scientific study of those processes. The interpersonal processes that occur within and between groups.

Question 22

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 22

(FAE) The tendency
to overestimate the causal influence of dispositional factors and underemphasize the causal influence of situational factors.