Groups and Individuals Flashcards
(27 cards)
Group
Two or more people who are seen as a unit and interact with one another
Common-bond groups
Face to face interaction, bonded to one another
Common-identity groups
Members linked via category, face to face interaction may not occur
What are the 4 key components of Groups?
Status, Roles, Norms, Cohesiveness
Conformity
Those with lower status within the group are more likely to conform and those with higher status within the group are less likely to conform
Cohesion
the extent to which members of a group are connected - the binding force
What 3 factors lead to arousal
Mere presence, Evaluation apprehension, and Distraction
Mere presence and arousal
the simple presence of others causes physical arousal
Evaluation apprehension and arousal
feeling judged enhances self-consciousness
Distraction and arousal
the presence of others can take attention away from performance
Distraction conflict theory
an individual’s performance on simple tasks is facilitated by arousal, whereas an individual’s performance on complex tasks is hindered by this same arousal
Social Loafing
being in a group can cause a decrease in effort
What can lead to the reduction of Social Loafing?
the belief that individual effort will be noted publicly, Increasing each group member’s commitment to the task, increasing task importance and value, clear standards of performance
Deindividuation
let go of self-awareness and restraint and go along with the group. Can lead to very dangerous behvaviors
What three factors contribute to deindividuation?
Arousal, Anonymity, Reduced feelings of responsibility
Social Identity Deindividuation (SIDE)
an individual changes their focus from the self to the group, can lead to a loss of self awareness. eg. cults
Social Decision Schemes
Rules that guide how the initial distribution of views of each group member influences the final group decision
What are the 4 main social decision schemes?
the majority wins, the truth wins, the first shift rule, unanimity
Risky Shift
We will take greater risks as a group than we will as individuals
Group Polarization
An attitude/belief can become magnified within a group after being discussed among group members
Group think
The mode of thinking that a person engages in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action
What needs to occur for group think to happen?
cohesive group, isolation from dissenting viewpoints, direct leader
How do we avoid group think?
remain open to criticism, work with diverse people, include members outside the group, train members in group decision-making
Conflict
a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas
