Interpersonal and Group Processes

Question 1

What is compliance?

Answer 1

A surface change in behaviour which is not associated with true underlying cognitive changes

Question 2

What is conformity?

Answer 2

A deep-seated cognitive change, usually in response to the existence of self-defining group norms

Question 3

What is reciprocity?

Answer 3

When someone does something for us, we feel uncomfortable until we have discharged the debt

Question 4

What is the foot-in-the-door method?

Answer 4

The focal request is preceded by a smaller request that everyone would agree to

Question 5

What is the door-in-the-face method?

Answer 5

The focal request is preceded by a much larger request that everyone would say no to

Question 6

What is low-balling?

Answer 6

The focal request is accompanied by lots of sweeteners

Question 7

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Answer 7

People tend to underestimate the effectiveness of situational factors and to overestimate the effectiveness of dispositional ones

Question 8

What is the autokinetic effect?

Answer 8

When a pinpoint of light is projected in an otherwise dark room, it appears to move

Question 9

What is informational influence?

Answer 9

People like to think that their perceptions are accurate and valid, so if they are uncertain or people disagree with them, they may feel that they are wrong and need to change their view/answer

Question 10

What is normative influence?

Answer 10

People like to be liked and approved of by others and therefore do not like to stand out as different

Question 11

What is referent informational influence?

Answer 11

People feel a sense of belonging with the group defined by the norm

Question 12

What does a consistent minority do?

Answer 12

• Disrupts the majority norm and thus produces uncertainty and doubt
• Draws attention to itself as an entity
• Conveys the existence of an alternative and comprehensible point of view
• Demonstrates certainty in, and unshakeable commitment to, its point of view
• Shows that the only solution to the conflict that has arisen is espousal of the minority viewpoint

Question 13

What can groups do?

Answer 13

• Reduce anxiety
• Provide confirmation of the validity of one’s perceptions
• Reduce uncertainty about one’s self and one’s place in the world

Question 14

What is social loafing?

Answer 14

The reduction in effort on an individual basis when working in a group, compared to when working alone or co-actively

Question 15

What is the collective effort model?

Answer 15

People will work hard on a collective task only to the degree that they expect their efforts to be instrumental in leading to outcomes that they value personally

Question 16

Loafing will be reduced when people…

Answer 16

• Believe their collective inputs can be evaluated
• Work in smaller rather than larger groups
• View their contributions to the collective task as unique or important rather than redundant or trivial
• Work on tasks that are meaningful, high in personal involvement, important to respected others, or intrinsically interesting
• Work in cohesive groups or in situations that activate a salient group identity
• Expect their co-workers to perform poorly
• Have a disproportional tendency to value collective outcomes

Question 17

What is realistic conflict theory? (Sherif 1966)

Answer 17

The way people behave towards each other is strongly influenced by people’s goals and their perception of the goal relations between people

Question 18

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 18

When people’s goals are frustrated they can feel a sense of anger that can be dissipated only by aggression, often not directed at the cause of the frustration but at a scapegoat that is weak and vulnerable

Question 19

Illusory correlation is the perception of an ______ relation between two distinctive elements that _____ actually exist or is _____ ______

Answer 19

Apparent; doesn’t; enormously exaggerated

Question 20

Our attraction to stimuli that are familiar to us is known as the…

Answer 20

Mere-exposure effect