Unit 8 Flashcards
(27 cards)
group
A set of individuals who interact over time and have shared fate, goals, or identity.
a collective.
people engaging in a common activity but having little direct interaction with each other. eg. going to a concert
Why do people join a group
- early years for survival
- feelings of self worth and identification (social identity theory
- purpose
- feeling of belonging
group roles
a set of expected behaviors and responsibilities assigned to or taken on by an individual within a group.
formal - designated by a title
informal- less obvious and not labeled
2 types:
instrumental- help group achievements
expressive- morale and emotional support
assignment is important to match peoples strengths with their role
group norms
rules of conduct for members. provide a sense of what it is to be a good group member.
conformity pressures (uniform or color)
can be enforced or acted against to change.
formal or informal
social facilitation
a process by which the presence of others enhances performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks
how does the mere presence of others affect performance of different tasks.
- creates physiological arousal or energy
- arousal enhances dominant response (elicited reaction to stimulus, quickly)
- quality of performance varies by task
*facilitates dominant response not necessarily the task itself
two alternative explanations for the social facilitation phenomenon
1) evaluation apprehension theory - the presence of other swill produce social facilitation efforts only when others are seen as evaluators (worry about judgement of others)
2) distraction-conflict theory - presence of others will produce social facilitation effects only when those others distract from task and create attentional conflict. focus is torn (distracted)
social loafing
group produced reduction in individual output on tasks where contributions are pooled.
Identify factors that can reduce the likelihood of social loafing
- limit scope of project or break up into tasks
- keep groups small
- use peer evaluations
- assigning group members responsibility of tasks
deindividuation
the loss of a persons sense of individuality and the reduction of normal constraints against deviant behavior. Often a collective phenomenon in the presence of others.
How can environmental cues and a sense of social identity affect the deindividuation process
2 types of cues:
1) accountability - affect the individuals cost/reward calculations. low is deviant
2) attentional- focus attention away from self, act on impulse
- feel safe in a group
- anonymous act out more
- losing your personal identity to the group is affected by what that group stands for good/bad
process loss when working in a group
loss of production due to group obstacles created by its processes such as coordination/motivation
process gain when working in a group
increase in group performance so that the group out performs the individuals who make up the group.
group polarization.
the exaggeration of initial tendencies in the thinking of a group members through group discussion. leans towards caution focus will be extreme toward caution
explanations for group polarization occurring in group discussions.
1) persuasive arguments theory - the greater # of arguments and persuasiveness the stronger the extreme beliefs
2) social comparison and group identity- adjusting our views to fit the group (to be liked or accepted)
3) echo chambers/social media influence- selective exposure only what you like or want, social media rewards the extreme
groupthink.
A group decision-making style characterized by an excessive tendency among group members to seek concurrence.
What are the antecedents, behavioral symptoms, and consequences of groupthink?
antecedents- high cohesiveness, directive leadership (discourage dissention) isolation from outside, urgency, homogeneity of members
behavioral symptoms- overestimation of power/ morality, closed minded, pressure for uniformity
consequences- poor decision making suppression of critical analysis, over confidence, lack of assessment of risks, incomplete analysis, lack of alternative planning
How can groupthink be prevented
- active effort to process information more clearly
- avoid isolation, consult outsiders
- reduce conformity pressures
- encourage criticism and discussion
establish norms of critical review, take time before decisions
How do information sharing, and goal setting in a group affect the group’s performance
- impacts the decision making quality, effective sharing leads to better informed decisions
- group performance is better with specific ambitious goals, motivation and focus, helps track progress. well defined is better
transactive memory
shared system to aid in groups memory, divide knowledge to store and retrieve more efficiently.
removes knowledge gaps
social dilemma
situation in which individual interests are at odds with the collective good. If everyone acts in their own self-interest, the outcome is worse for the entire group—even for those individuals themselves.
What are the variables that determine if people will compete or cooperate in a social dilemma?
fear
greed
trust
communication
the prisoner’s dilemma
a type of dilemma in which one party must make either cooperative or competitive moves in relation to another party both in act of self interest both suffer more than if working together
