group influence Flashcards
(21 cards)
What is a Group?
Two or more people who interact with one another.
Key concept: collective influence – groups affect their members, and members affect their groups.
Members perceive themselves as “us” in contrast to “them.”
Example: Fans at a hockey game vs. audience at a play.
People in each other’s presence can influence each other even without direct interaction.
Social Facilitation
Triplett (1898): Cyclists perform better when racing together rather than alone.
Experiment: Children winding a fishing reel faster when another child is present.
Occurs in animals too (e.g., rats mating, dogs eating faster in presence of others).
Arousal and Performance
Enhances dominant responses:
- Simple tasks (overlearned, instinctual, automatized) → Performance improves with audience.
- Complex tasks (novel, learned, requiring cognitive resources) → Performance declines with audience.
Zajonc (1965): Presence of others increases arousal, affecting performance based on task complexity.
Crowding effects: Increased arousal (e.g., students in a crowded vs. spacious classroom).
Study: Playing Pool
IV: Player skill level (above or below average).
IV: Context (observed vs. unobserved).
DV: Successful shots.
Results:
Above-average players improved when observed.
Below-average players performed worse when observed.
Why Are We Aroused in the Presence of Others? Evaluation apprehension
Joggers run faster when being watched.
Social facilitation effect disappears if observers are blindfolded.
Why Are We Aroused in the Presence of Others? Driven by distraction
Divided attention between task and observers.
Non-human distractions also cause social facilitation effects.
Why Are We Aroused in the Presence of Others? Mere presence
Innate social arousal mechanism (e.g., color preferences stronger in presence of others).
Real-World Applications
Exam rooms: Individual desks vs. long bench seating.
Open vs. private offices.
Online fitness communities (e.g., Fitbit comparisons).
Open-concept kitchens (enhanced or worsened performance?).
Social Loafing: Many Hands Make Light Work?
Definition: The tendency for people to exert less effort in a group than when alone.
Study: Tug o’ War
Participants pulled a rope alone or believed they had teammates (who were not actually pulling).
Results: Participants exerted less effort when they thought others were involved.
Why Does Social Loafing Happen?
No evaluation apprehension → Less effort.
Perceived diffusion of responsibility.
Study: Noise Experiment
Participants blindfolded, wore headphones, and asked to clap/shout alone or in groups.
Results: Each person produced only 1/3 the noise in a group but perceived their effort as equal.
How to Reduce Social Loafing?
Make individuals accountable.
Use individual microphones.
Measure individual performance on tasks.
Tasks should be:
Challenging.
Appealing.
Personally involving.
Groups should be:
Small.
Composed of friends.
Rewarding success.
Examples:
Sports teams (number & name on jerseys).
Work teams (individual vs. group output measurement).
Deindividuation
Definition: Loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension in group situations fostering anonymity.
Combination of:
Social facilitation (arousal).
Social loafing (diffused responsibility).
Factors Leading to Deindividuation
Group size: Larger groups increase anonymity.
Physical anonymity:
Example: Halloween candy study – Children in groups, not identified, took more candy.
Example: Ku Klux Klan robes, internet anonymity.
How to Counteract Deindividuation?
Increase self-awareness:
Mirrors in rooms.
Name tags.
Individualized clothing.
Group Polarization
Discussion strengthens shared opinions.
If group members favor a decision, discussion strengthens that stance.
If against, discussion reinforces opposition.
Group Polarization
Why Does This Happen?
Informational influence:
Hearing agreement reinforces own beliefs.
Exposure to new supporting arguments.
Explaining views to others strengthens them.
Normative influence:
Expressing stronger opinions to gain social approval.
Groupthink: When Good Groups Make Bad Decisions
Definition: Tendency to suppress dissent for group harmony.
Groupthink: When Good Groups Make Bad Decisions
examples
Titanic disaster:
Illusion of invulnerability.
Rationalization of warnings.
Unquestioned belief in morality.
Conformity pressures.
Illusion of unanimity.
Walkerton Water Crisis:
Authorities dismissed warnings about contaminated water.
Group members assumed others believed water was safe.
How to Prevent Groupthink?
Be impartial.
Assign a devil’s advocate.
Subdivide the group.
Invite outside critiques.
