WEEK 6 - group processes

Question 1

What is a group?

Answer 1

set of individuals who interact over time and have shared
fate, goals, or identity

Question 2

Why do people join groups?

Answer 2

• lack of choice, reach goals; uncertainty reduction (guidelines for how to behave)
• effects of not being in a group: social ostracism (exclusion from a group bycommon consent)

Question 3

What is group cohesiveness:

Answer 3

extent to which forces push group members closer
together such as through feelings of intimacy, unity, and commitment to group goals

Question 4

What are group roles?

Answer 4

set of expected behaviours; can be formal or informal

Question 5

What is Zimbardo’s prison study (Kassin et al.) (in relation to group roles?)

Answer 5

*simulated prison in psychology department basement: students allocated as ‘prisoners’ or ‘guards’: study
halted early due to extreme role adoption

Question 6

What is role status?

Answer 6

some roles/role occupant/groups have more prestige

Question 7

What is Festinger’s (1954) social comparison theory

Answer 7

hold others who successfully compete with us in higher regard)

Question 8

What are the two types of status characterstics?

Answer 8

specific (directly related role) vs. diffuse (generally valued role)

Question 9

What are norms?

Answer 9

rules of conduct for group members
provide guidelines on how to behave as a typical group member
*can influence the individual in the absence of the group: the group is carried in the head of an individual in the form of a norm
*deviations from the norm can be tolerated especially by leaders (idiosyncrasy credits) and if group seen as one that has variability

Question 10

What are the types of norms?

Answer 10

*can be formal or informal; descriptive and prescriptive
*explicit or implicit (violation of hidden norms to discover them)

Question 11

What is social facilitation

Answer 11

process whereby the presence of others enhances performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks

Question 12

What are the theories based on social facilitation

Answer 12

• Triplett’s (1898) experiment: people cycled faster when paced than alone
• Zajonc’s (1965) drive theory: arousal drives energy to produce dominant response (others’ mere presence
  produces social facilitation)
• Cottrell’s evaluation apprehension theory: attentive others produce fear of evaluation (not just mere presence)
• Baron’s distraction-conflict theory: attentional conflict - distraction from task the key (doesn’t need to be a person)

Question 13

What is * Zajonc’s (1965) drive theory:

Answer 13

The prescence of others increases arousal which strengthens the dominant response to stimuli. On a easy task the dominant response is usually correct and therefore the presence of others enhances performance. Although, on difficult tasks the dominant response is usually incorrect nd therefore the presence of others impairs performance

Question 14

What is social loafing

Answer 14

group-produced reduction in individual output on tasks where contributions are pooled

Question 15

What is Ringelmann’s (1913) experiments (in relation to social loafing)

Answer 15

asked weather level of social loafing changed based on coordination or motivation loss?

Question 16

What is Ingham et al. (1974) (in relation to social loafing)

Answer 16

ruled out coordination as an explanation of social loafing via rope pulling study

Question 17

What is Latane’s clapping/cheering studies

Answer 17

In this study students were told to clap or cheer as loudly as they could. However, the noise of the claps decreased as the group of people clapping got bigger

Question 18

What were the findings in Latane et al. (1974) (in relation to social loafing )

Answer 18

found that motivation loss = social loafing

to explain findings:
* output equity (expect others to loaf)
* evaluation apprehension
* matching to standard (no obvious performance standards to follow)

Question 19

What are factors that influence loafing

Answer 19

greater anonymity: ↑ loafing
* valuing/involvement in task: ↓ loafing
* believing one can help achieve desired outcome: ↓ loafing
* intergroup comparison (vs. outgroup): ↓ loafing
* anticipated loafing of others (compensation): ↓ loafing
distinction between social loafing (reduced effort) vs. ‘free-rider’ (no effort)

Question 20

What is deindividuation

Answer 20

loss of a person’s sense of individuality and the reduction of normal constraints against deviant behaviour

For example, in LeBon’s theory of crowd behaviour; people become barbaric!

Question 21

What is Diener et al.’s ‘Halloween’ study

Answer 21

deindividuated children take more lollies… but other studies show not automatic relationship between anonymity and antisocial behaviours

Question 22

What is the social identity perspective

Answer 22

not lost identity in a crowd, but shift from personal to shared social identity as crowd member

Question 23

What is brainstorming

Answer 23

• technique that attempts to increase production of creative ideas by encouraging group members to speak freely without criticising their own or others’
  contributions
• increases cohesiveness

Question 24

What is groupthink

Answer 24

group decision-making style characterised by an excessive tendency among group members to seek agreement

Question 25

What are strategies to prevent groupthink

Answer 25

• wide consultation with outsiders
• encouragement of criticism
• use of sub-groups to discuss issues
• follow-up meetings to review major decisions

Question 26

What is group polarisation

Answer 26

the tendency for a group to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members.

Question 27

What is Stoner’s (1961) ‘risky shift’ research:

Answer 27

group shifts to a more extreme (& risky)
decision

Question 28

Why does stoners ‘risky shift’ theory occur

Answer 28

• persuasive arguments: exposed to a greater number and more persuasive arguments
• social comparison: need for social approval (shift to more extreme views)
• self-categorisation theory: a way in which an ingroup can distinguish themselves from
  outgroups

Question 29

What is social dilemma

Answer 29

acting in one’s immediate self-interest is tempting to everyone involved, even though everybody benefits from acting in the longer-term collective interest

a situation in which all individuals would be better off cooperating but fail to do so because of conflicting interests between individuals that discourage joint action.

Question 30

What is the prisoner’s dilemma

Answer 30

Two prisoners are accused of a crime. If one confesses and the other does not, the one who confesses will be released immediately and the other will spend 20 years in prison. If neither confesses, each will be held only a few months. Worst scenario is that one cooperates and the other competes.

Question 31

What did the prisoner’s dilemma find?

Answer 31

co-operative or competitive moves designed to assess whether people engage in self-interest personally or consider the outcomes for others

Question 32

What is the tragedy of the commons

Answer 32

use of a limited resource without considering the effects
for all if everyone adopted the same approach
* individual interest versus common good
* relevant to social issues such as environmental dilemmas

Question 33

Factors which can influence juries

Answer 33

• group decision making processes discussed and conformity (informational and normative)
• race of accused
• racial composition of juries can have an effect (e.g., White jurors in more diverse juries convict
  minority race defendants less)
• for weak evidence, more lenient to own race defendants but for strong evidence, harsher
• when race a prominent part of case, greater processing of evidence may lead to less racial bias
• jury foreperson/jury speaker
• higher occupational status (diffuse status characteristics) or jury experience
• the first person who speaks
• where you sit at table (head of a rectangular table)
• harshness of penalties (if too harsh, backfires)