5 - Intra & Intergroup Dynamics

Question 1

What are the two types of interdependence that memberships of groups rely on each other for? What types of groups are built upon on each interdependence?

Answer 1

Task interdependence; reliant on each other for mastery of rewards through collective tasks. Secondary/ task groups, e.g. work teams.

Social: reliant on each other for feelings of connectedness, respect & acceptance. Primacy/ intimacy groups, e.g. friends.

Question 2

Describe Tuckman’s (1965) group formation model (5 stages.

Answer 2

1. Forming; coming together to create group, goals, structures worked out.
2. Storming; negotiation, roles, can involve conflict (good/bad).
3. Norming; group norms emerge - consensus, harmony.
4. Performing: cooperation, decisions, outputs.
5. Adjourning; dissolution of group, fulfilled purpose, evaluation follows, can be stressful if commitment made.

Question 3

In the storming stage of group formation, there are 3 types of conflict. Describe them and de Wit et al.’s (2012) finding about conflict and later performance & commitment?

Answer 3

Relationship, task, and process conflict.

Study found; relationship & process conflict decreased performance but task conflict can increase performance.

Why? Deeper processing/conflict of task could lead to better understanding/definition of what’s req.

Question 4

What is group socialisation and the 3 mutual processes?

Answer 4

Socialisation; cognitive, affective & behavioural changes that occur as individuals join & leave groups.

Mutual Processes:
investigation - info seeking about group/individual.
socialisation - mold person to group
maintenance - committed membership, take on role.

Question 5

What is social facilitation and how is it task dependent (Markus, 1978)? (familiar vs unfamiliar tasks). What is the arousal & facilitation explanation of this effect?

Answer 5

An increase in the likelihood of highly accessible
responses (and decrease in likelihood of less accessible responses), due to the presence of others.

Study found: mere presence of another person improves performance of familiar actions but impairs unfamiliar actions (more nervous*?).

Arousal increases when others are around, which facilities dominant/familiar tasks, but worsens with unfamiliar tasks.

Question 6

What is social loafing and how can it be reduced (4 ways)?

Answer 6

Tendency to exert less effort on task in group than when alone.

1. Change nature of task (more interest)
2. Increase accountability
3. Reduce group size.
4. Increase commitment or identification w/ group.

Question 7

What is deindividuation? How did Johnson & Downing (1979) exacerbate effects of group norms of behaviour (nurse/KKK)?

Answer 7

When group identity dominates personal identity. Caused by uniform, group, anonymity.

Study:
Pts wore Nurse or KKK uniforms + some had faces covered some did not.

Results - Nurse delivered less shocks & KKK more (expected) BUT masked pts on both sides acted stronger (nurses less shock, KKK more)

Takeaway - De-individuation (anonymity)
exacerbates the effects of group
norms on behaviour

Question 8

What is social categorisation and self-categorisation?

Answer 8

Often auto process where by people are perceived as members of groups, rather than individuals, i.e. gender, age, race…

Self-categorisation - process of seeing our self as group members, our own social identities.

Question 9

What are some consequence of ‘us vs them’? How did Platz & Hosch (1988) show about cross-race identification bias (other race) effect?

Answer 9

1. Group-ness is amplified.
2. Outgroup Homogeneity - cross race identification bias.

Study:
Texas Convenience store clerks, identified customers (Anglo, Mexi-US, African-US)
T/away - increased accuracy for ingroup, whereas out-groups were seen as homogenous.

Question 10

What is a stereotyping?

Answer 10

applying a stereotype to an individual, viewing in light of.

Question 11

Describe the dimensions of the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) (Competence & Warmth Dimensions).

Answer 11

High Competence / High Warmth = Admiration s/type (ingroup, ally)

Low / Low = Contemptuous s/type (welfare recips, poor)

High Comp / Low Warmth = Envious s/type (rich ppl, feminists, Jews etc).

Low Comp / High Warmth = paternal s/type (h/wives, elderly).

Question 12

How are stereotypes activated and what is the implicit associations test?

Answer 12

Can be activated automatically, via mere presence of social category (label).

IAT - associations b/w social categories & other concepts, used to measure attitudes. Uses a RT paradigm, where responses show associations of terms & s/types - more closely linked in the mind two concepts are (e.g., man and career), the faster a person will be

Question 13

What is the difference b/w stereotypes & prejudice? And what is discrimination?

Answer 13

S/type cognitive reps of impressions of groups - beliefs.

Prejudice; positive or neg evaluations of social group or members - attitudes.

Discrimination; pos or neg behaviour directed toward a social group or its members.

Question 14

What is Social Identity Theory (SIT)?

Answer 14

• Ppl prefer to have positive self-concept (valuing me & mine).
• motivated to increase positivity of our own groups relative to outgroups - favouritism.
• A protective process

Question 15

What is the Ultimate Attribution Error?

Answer 15

When positive behaviours are judged as dispositional traits to in-group, but situational to out-groups and vice versa or negative behaviours.

Question 16

What is Realistic Conflict Theory? What did Taylor & Moriarty find about when pitting two groups in problem solving competition for single reward?

Answer 16

intergroup hostility arises from competition among groups for scarce (and thus valued) material resource.

Study: in-group favouritism exacerbated under competition.

Question 17

Describe the 3 threats of Integrated Threat Theory?

Answer 17

Realistic threat, symbolic threat (values/beliefs), intergroup anxiety (neg emotion of interacting w/ outgroup).

Question 18

Describe the 3 ways prejudice can be reduced?

Answer 18

1. Contact - more contact, less prejudice via more knowledge & empathy, perspective taking, decreased anxiety.
2. Changing Categorisation - re-categorisation (them > us) & de-categorisation (them > he/she).
3. Superordinate Goals - promoting cooperation.

Question 19

What is the contact hypothesis?

Answer 19

under certain conditions, direct contact between members of different groups can reduce intergroup stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination

Question 20

Describe the 3 barriers to stereotype change; explaining away inconsistent info, compartmentalising inconsistent info, & contrast effects. And list the ways in which each can be countered.

Answer 20

1. ‘explaining away’ - Discrepant information is rationalised as ‘special circumstance’.
   Counter: counter-stereotypic behaviour performed multiple times reduces s/type.
2. ‘compartmentalising’ - creating subgroups w/i stereotypes to retain broader category, i.e. working woman, housewife for “women” s/type.
   Counter: counter-stereotypic behaviour is observed in multiple ppl from s/type group
3. contrast effects - seeing disconfirming group members as extreme, atypical cases, contrasting against true s/type.
   Counter: reminding the judging party that you are indeed a typical member of a group reduces the s/type of that group by the person.

Question 21

What is stereotype threat and how does it affect performance & self-esteem?

Answer 21

the fear of confirming others’ negative stereotype of your group.

Performance: knowledge of negative s/type can produce anxiety & reduced performance. As seen in the gender priming studies on math abilities.

Self-esteem: group membership contributes to self-identity/belonging, therefore s/types that reduce groups, reduces self.