Ch.7, Group Influence Flashcards
Shaw Definition of Group:
all groups have on thing in common: their members interact; group is two or more people who interact with and influence one another
Social Facilitation Effect:
prescence of others improves the speed with which people solve problems, and improves accuracy on simple motor tasks (also applies more often); occurs when people work toward individual goals when their efforts can be individually evaluated
Crowding
The effect of other’s presence increases with their number
Being in a crowd intensifies positive or negative reactions
What you do well, you will be energized to do best in front of others
What you find difficult may seem impossible in the same circumstances
Evaluation Apprehension
Observers make us apprehensive because we wonder how they are evaluating us
Social Loafing
People don’t try as hard when there are others in the group because there is less evaluation apprehension and therefore less arousal
Collectivist cultures exhibit less social loafing than people in individualist cultures
People in groups engage less in loafing when the task is challenging, appealing or involving
Deindividuation
Losing sense of self in a group
In groups people are more likely to abandon normal restraints and lose their sense of individual responsibility
Perceive individual actions as the group’s
Physical Anynomity
Zimbardo: anonymous women delivered longer electric shocks to helpless victims than identifiable women
These effects are present on social media when people can engage in any behaviour without it being “traced back” to them
Activities such as throwing rocks and group singing can set the stage for more uninhibited behaviour
Deindiviuated people are less restrained, less self regulated
Large groups create “production blocking” : losing one’s ideas while awaiting a turn to speak
Group Polarization
Group Polarization: a tendency for discussio to enhance the individual’s initial leanings; discussion typically strengthens the average inclination of group members
Accentuation Phenomenon:
: over time, initial differences among groups of university students become accentuated: group members reinforce shared inclinations; also occurs in communities (a gang is more dangerous than the sum of its individual parts) and on the internet (allows people to find reinforcing groups and isolate themselves with one another and find support for their beliefs)
Informational Influence: Explaining Group Polarization
Group discussion elicits a pooling of ideas, most of which favor the dominant viewpoint
Active participation in discussion produces more attitude change than hearing someone else’s arguments
Also depends on where info is coming from/ verbal commitment is important
Normative Influence and Group Polarization
WE are most persuaded by people in our reference groups/groups we identify with
Pluralistic Ignorance: An example of pluralistic ignorance includes not speaking up when a friend cheats on his math test because you incorrectly think that the rest of your friends believe cheating is okay (BELIEVE THEIR VALUES ARE MORE EXTREME) even though you personally believe that cheating is wrong.
Symptoms of Groupthink
Illusion of Invulnerability: belief that nothing bad will happen
Unquestioned belief in the group’s morality: group members assume the morality of their group and ignore ethical/morale issues
Rationalization: the group discounts challenges by collectively justifying it’s decisions
Stereotyped View of Opponent:
Conformity Pressure: group members scold those who do raise doubts
Self-Censorship: since disagreements are often uncomfortable and the group seems to be consensus, members often withhold or discount their misgivings
Illusion of Unanmity: self censorship and pressure overall not to ruin the group consensus gcreates the idea of unanimity
Mindguards: members protect the group from info that would call into question the morality/effectiveness of its decisions
Task vs social leadership
Task Leadership: organizing work, setting standrads, focusing on goal attainment
Social Leadership: building teamwork, mediating conflicts, and being supportive
“Great Person” Theory of Leadership:
all great leaders share certain traits; not viable, effective leadership varies with the situation
Transactional vs transformational leadership
Transactional Leaders: focus on getting to know their subordinates and listening carefully; maintain high expectations
Transformational Leaders: inspiring, focused on optimism and transformation, charismatic, energetic, extroverted.
