8: group dynamics

Question 1

what are intimacy groups

Answer 1

direct groups such as families, spouses, friends

Question 2

what are social categories

Answer 2

general class of groups such as women,
ie) jewish, muslims, north americans

Question 3

what are loose associations

Answer 3

loose groups such as neighborhoods, people who like classical music

(nothing to do with class groups)

Question 4

what is entitativity

Answer 4

degree to which a collection of people feel like a cohesive group

Question 5

what influences entitativity

Answer 5

• common bond (degree of dependency between members to meet needs and goals)
• common identity ( individuals who share similar characteristics)

Question 6

define a group

Answer 6

3 or more people who interact and influence one another

Question 7

what are characteristics of groups

Answer 7

• social norms (norms established in a particular group)
• social roles (specific expectations about how a particular group should behave

Question 8

what is social facilitation

Answer 8

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

Question 9

what is Zajoncs refined social facilitation theory

Answer 9

The theory that the presence of others increases a person’s dominant response—that is, the response that is most likely for that person for the task at hand

Question 10

what is evaluation apprehension theory

Answer 10

presence of others will produce social facilitation effects when we are concerned with how we appear in the eyes of others

Question 11

what is distraction conflict theory

Answer 11

when a person is performing a task, the mere presence of others creates a conflict between concentrating on the task and concentrating on the other people.

leads to social facilitation

Question 12

what is social loafing

Answer 12

tendency for people to relax in presence of others when their individual performance can’t be evaluated

Question 13

what influences social loafing

Answer 13

• size of the group (larger group//less effort)
• perceived anonymity (if people believe their efforts cant be perceived there is increased social loafing)
• group importance (less likely to loaf if the group is important to them)
• value of individual efforts ( ones efforts wont decline if they believe they are necessary to the group)
• social loafing declines if one believes negative consequences will arise with their poor performance

Question 14

what is deindividualization

Answer 14

loss of a persons sense of individuality when people cannot be identified
- can lead to loose constraints on behaviour

Question 15

what can deindividualization lead to

Answer 15

antisocial actions and tendencies
- individuals feel less accountable for their actions
- attentional cues are shifted from the self to the situation (can lead to aggressive behavior)

Question 16

what is the social identity model of deindividuation effects ( SIDEO

Answer 16

Whether deindividuation affects people for better or worse reflects the norms and characteristics of the group immediately surrounding the individual.

ie) political rally can become a riot if norm of aggression belongs to group

Question 17

what are the assumptions of group decision making

Answer 17

assumed that group decisions (unity) are typically better than individual decisions
- however, sometimes groups make poor decisions

Question 18

what are additive tasks

Answer 18

activities in which the group output reflects total of all individual member contributions

Question 19

what are conjunctive tasks

Answer 19

Activities in which the performance of the group depends on the least talented member.
- include challenging tasks on the basis of effort

Question 20

what are disjunctive tasks

Answer 20

Activities in which the performance of the group depends on the most talented member.
- tasks that rely on correct answers

Question 21

whats group think

Answer 21

when a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives.

• based on a common desire not to upset the balance of a group of people.
• typically have a directive leader

Question 22

what are symptoms of group think

Answer 22

• illusion of invulnerability
• no skepticism
• follow stereotyped worldview
• censorship
• mind guards: Members who protect the group from information that calls into question the quality or morality of their decision

Question 23

what habits prevent group think

Answer 23

• leader is non-directive
• norm to skepticism and openness
• individuals outside the group should have some influence in the decision
• seek anonymous opinions from members so theres no pressure for conformity

Question 24

what is group polarization

Answer 24

tendency for groups to show a shift towards the extremes of decision-making when compared to decisions made by individuals.

Question 25

what is a risky shift

Answer 25

phenomenon that group decisions are riskier than individual decisions

Question 26

what are cautious shifts

Answer 26

phenomenon that group decisions are more cautious than individual decisions

Question 27

what may cause one to polarize in group arguments

Answer 27

• persuasive arguments (participation in discussion may lead to rehearsal and validation)
• social comparisons (Individuals spontaneously compare themselves to others and if they find a difference they move toward the group’s view. try to fit in group norm)

Question 28

what are social dilemmas

Answer 28

situations in which self interested choice by most people may lead to harmful effects for everyone

Question 29

what is prisoners dilemma

Answer 29

a situation where two parties, separated and unable to communicate, must each choose between cooperating with the other or not.

ie) 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.

Question 30

what is the commons dilemma

Answer 30

a social dilemma in which individuals in a group each make decisions out of self-interest, eventually causing unintended harm to the entire group

Question 31

what is the public good dilemma

Answer 31

Individuals expected to contribute to common pool (e.g. taxes, donating blood, etc) but if no one gives, services cannot be provided.

Question 32

what are qualities of risk taking

Answer 32

• reward focused behavior
• insensitive to negative outcomes
• related to the approach phenomena

Question 33

what is social identity theory

Answer 33

the ways that people’s self-concepts are based on their membership in social groups.

Question 34

what are ingroup biases

Answer 34

A tendency to favor groups we belong to more than those that we don’t.

Question 35

what is a dominant response

Answer 35

the response that is most likely for that person for the task at hand.

Question 36

what’s Zajonc’s experiment with roaches on The Role of Arousal

Answer 36

places roaches in complex or simple maze alone or in presence of other roaches

• when the task was easy, the cockroaches reached their goal more quickly in the presence of other cockroaches than when they were alone.
• when the task was difficult, it took the cockroaches longer to reach their goal with other cockroaches lurking about

Question 37

what is social dominance theory

Answer 37

The theory that large societies create hierarchies and that people tend to endorse beliefs that legitimatize hierarchy

Question 38

what are legitimizing myths

Answer 38

overly simplistic beliefs about why people succeed or fail in society
- ie) anyone can get ahead in life by simply working hard enough

Question 39

what is system justification theory

Answer 39

we are motivated to defend the status quo because doing so serves fundamental psychological needs for certainty, security, and social acceptance

ie) upper class will have negative view on lower class as unintelligent before admitting the inequality of society

Question 40

what are complementary stereotypes

Answer 40

Both positive and negative stereotypes that are ascribed to a group as a way of justifying the status quo.

ie) the poor are happy (are they REALLLY??)

Question 41

what is Relative deprivation theory

Answer 41

theory which states that disadvantaged groups are less aware of and bothered by their lower status because of a tendency to compare their outcomes only with others who are similarly deprived.

Question 42

what is collective action

Answer 42

any action that individuals undertake as psychological group members, and with the subjective goal to improve their group’s conditions