Structure Flashcards
What are the four types of norms?
Prescriptive norms
Proscriptive norms
Descriptive norms
Injunctive norms
What are prescriptive norms? What are examples?
what people should do
(can be descriptive or injunctive)
Turn Signals (specific), Be kind (general)
What are proscriptive norms?
what people should refrain from doing
(can be descriptive or injunctive)
What are descriptive norms?
what most people actually do; this does not necessarily lead to a value judgment.
No evaluation of behaviour; it just is what it is
Studies: People often follow descriptive norms: do what others do.
What are injunctive norms?
what people ought to do or refrain from doing (or else!); this does have evaluative consequences.
i.e.: Judging someone for not signalling
Moral component
What is internalization of norms?
When norms are internalized, people follow them even when nobody is watching.
When people violate internalized norms, they experience distress.
What was a famous study regarding internalized norms?
Milgram story:
Go on a subway and violate a norm:
ask them for their seat. This caused a lot of stress for students to violate the norm.
Some people gave their seats up.
Milgram asks a guy for his seat: he feels physically ILL, not simply guilty. Asks the guy, and he gives up his seat.
Looking visibly sick = has an excuse.
Social tuning is the process by which people…(fill in blank).
What does this relate to?
…adjust their behaviours to align with those around them.
relates to the development of social norms
What is Sherif’s 1936 study of the autokinetic effect? What were the results?
looked at people judging the movement of a tiny light in a darkened room
When people made these judgments alone, different people made very different judgments from each other.
When people made these judgments publicly in groups of three, estimates tended to converge over time.
If they then made more judgments individually afterwards, their judgments remained close to the group norm.
Once these norms were created, gradual turnover would not cause the norm to change even if everyone from the original group eventually left.
Typically, estimates converge around 3-4 inches.
Can RIG it with a Confederate who consistently says 7 inches, people eventually converge on 7.
You can even change the group members out individually; “norm” of 7 inches will still be the same.
What is the Sherif 1936 study often cited as an example of? What does it relate to?
The autokinetic effect is often cited as an example of informational social influence
relates to the development of norms
Children as young as __ are sensitive to norms and are __________ to people who violate norms.
3
hostile
Sometimes norms are misperceived due to what? Explain. What’s an example of this?
pluralistic ignorance
When members of a group privately vary in outlook and expectations, but publicly they all act similarly because they believe that they are the only ones whose personal views are different from the rest of the group.
For example, many university students think other university students are more tolerant of binge drinking than they themselves are, with unfortunate consequences (especially if the misperceived norm is then internalized).
What tends to spread through social networks like a contagious disease? Why does this occur? What else does this happen with?
Obesity tends to spread through social networks, almost like a contagious disease.
This seems to occur due to the spread of norms surrounding lifestyle.
Similar things can happen for eating disorders.
Why might special programs for at-risk youth be counterproductive? What can have the opposite effect?
because they foster the spread of dysfunctional norms
Support groups that encourage healthy behaviours can have the opposite effect.
What is a role?
The role is a set of expectations for certain group members, held both by the group and the members themselves.
Role structures can be what two types? How are they developed?
Role structures can be either formal or informal and may either be mandated from outside or developed internally.
Roles tend to do what over time?
differentiate
What is role differentiation?
An increase in the number of roles in a group, accompanied by a gradual decrease in the scope of these roles as each one becomes more narrowly defined and specialized.
What are the two broad categories of roles? Are these two types of roles held by the same person?
Task roles (focus on helping carry out one or more of the groups tasks) or relationship roles (focus on helping improve relationships within the group)
Often (but not always) task and relationship roles are held by separate people.
What do relationship roles depend on?
communication and respect
What are the four types of role theories?
Functional role theories
Interactionist theories
Dynamic role theories
Bale’s SYMLOG Model
What are functional role theories? Who developed this theory?
assert that certain things need to be done for a group to function effectively, and role differentiation is a way of ensuring that those things actually do get done
Roles need to be filled; we know what roles must be filled.
People have some sense of what roles need to be filled.
Benne and Sheats, 1948
What are interactionist theories (regarding roles)? What is this compatible with?
agree that group members are aware that certain roles need to be fulfilled for the group to function but also assert that interpersonal interactions result in continual negotiation and modification of roles.
This appears to be compatible with Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective, in which people are very focused on their own self-presentation.
We interact with others; we put on a show. Different Theatre = Different Show.
Depending on who we are with, our roles differ: with your besties versus your professors.
Roles emerge as we present ourselves and others present themselves to us.
What are dynamic role theories?
follow the work of Sigmund Freud (yes, him) in claiming that transference-like processes play a big role in the creation of groups because people are unconsciously trying to recreate their families when they start forming a new group.
