Ch. 12 - Group Dynamics Flashcards
Hierarchy of group closeness (4)
Intimacy group
task group
social categories
loose associations
Why join groups (3)
Survival advantage
need for belonging
motivate collective action
Define social facilitation
Evaluation apprehension
Zajonc
The presence of others increases the likelihood of a dominant response on the task
If it is a simple/well learned task you will perform well but if it is a difficult/novel task you will make mistakes
Occurs because presence of others (same species) increases our arousal, which can lead to facilitation or inhibition
Evaluation apprehension = people are concerned about being judged by others so their dependence depends on how they interpret the situation (feel challenged or feel threatened)
Social loafing
Diffusion of responsibility
Less likely to occur when (3)
Tendency for people to exert less effort when working as a group than when working alone
Occurs because of diffusion of responsibility in groups
Less likely to occur when
- individuals’ contributions are identifiable
- groups are small and cohesive
- task is challenging and important
Deindividuation Emergent properties of groups Causes of deindividuation (3) Deindividuation is increased by (4) Deindividuation results in (3)
Loss of personal identity as a result of becoming immersed in a group, mob mentality
Behaviours that only surface when people are part of a group
Less personal accountability
People are distracted from normal moral standards (lose self awareness)
People are obedient to group norms
Anonymity
Diffusion of responsibility
Energizing effect of others
Stimulus overload
Lessened self observation and self evaluation
Lessened concern with the evaluation of others
Weakening of internal controls
Groupthink
Increased by (5)
Symptoms of group think (5)
How to avoid group think (4)
In decision making groups, pressure to agree leads to inadequate appraisal of options and poor decision making
Directive leader who openly expresses their own opinion before group discussion occurs
High group cohesivesness
High stress, with little hope of finding alternative to leader’s solution
Insulation of group
Lack of procedures for information search and appraisal
Illusion of invulnerability and rationalization of warnings
Unquestioned belief in group’s morality
Pressure against/suppression of dissenting opinions
Self censorship of dissent, which creates illusion of unanimity
Emergence of self appointed mind guards
Leaders should be nondirective/impartial
Seek anonymous opinions
Unannounced outside evaluations
Group polarization
Tendency for original group opinions to become more extreme following group discussion
Majority influence stimulates convergent thinking, can lead to closemindedness and extremism
Social comparison also increases polarization –> when individuals realize their opinion is closer to average than they thought compared to others in the group, they make their views more extreme to distinguish themselves
Minority influence
Must be confident, persistent, and reasonable
Can stimulate divergent thinking
Individuation
Self awareness theory
Spotlight effect
Enhanced self of individual identity produced by focusing attention on the self, which generally leads people to act carefully and deliberately according to their sense of propriety and values
Maintains that when people focus their attention on themselves, they become concerned with self evaluation and how their current behaviour conforms to their internal standards
People’s conviction that other people are paying more attention to them than they actually are
Characteristics of leaders (3)
Have expertise in skills relevant to group’s goals
Have social skills that encourage strong group relations
Can provide rewards to the group and share resources
Power
Status
Authority
Dominance
Ability to control one’s own outcomes and those of others, freedom to act
Outcome of an evaluation of attributes that produces differences in respect and prominence
Power derived from institutionalized role or arrangements
Behaviour with the goal of acquiring/demonstrating power
Approach inhibition theory
Maintains that high power individuals are inclined to go after their goals and make quick, possibly rash judgements whereas low power individuals are more likely to constrain their behaviour and pay attention to others
High power individuals should be more likely to stereotype people and to be less accurate judges of others’ emotions
High power people are more likely to behave in less constrained ways, and to display antisocial behaviour
Power encourages people to express their underlying inclinations (positive OR negative)
