Chapter 8 - Group Influence Flashcards
What is meant by a “group?”
Two or more people who, for longer than a few minutes, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as an “us”.
Co-actors
Co-participants working individually on a noncompetitive activity.
What is social facilitation?
(1) Original meaning: the tendency of people to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when others are present
(2) Current meaning: the strengthening of dominant (prevalent, likely) responses in the presence of others.
What is meant by the “mere presence of others?”
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When can the presence of other help and hinder a person’s performance—and what is the importance of “arousal?”
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Explanations for the affect of the presence of others on arousal—
e.g., evaluation apprehension, distraction, mere presence
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Evaluation apprehension
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Distraction
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Mere Presence
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What are social loafing and the importance of “deindividuation?”
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Social Loafing
The tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable
Know the “rope-pulling” study that finds effects of social loafing, as well as everyday applications
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“Rope-pulling” study
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Social Loafing in Everyday Life
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Free riders
People who benefit from the group but give little in return
What is “deindividuation”?
Loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension; occurs in group situations that foster responsiveness to group norms, good or bad.
What is “deindividuation,” and how does it occur?
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Know some of the research that tests the affects of
“deindividuation,” especially the Halloween study by Ed Diener
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Know some of the research that tests the affects of
“deindividuation,” especially the Halloween study by Ed Diener
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Know some of the research that tests the affects of
“deindividuation,” especially the Halloween study by Ed Diener
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Self-awareness
A self-conscious state in which attention focuses on oneself. It makes people more sensitive to their own attitudes and behaviors.
How can we reduce deindividuation (e.g., self-awareness)?
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What is group polarization?
Group-produced enhancement of member’s preexisting tendencies; a strengthening of the member’s average tendency, not a split within the group
What is “risky shift?”
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Do groups intensify opinions?
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Group polarization experiments
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Group polarization in everyday life
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Group polarization in schools
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Group polarization in communities
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Group polarization in politics
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Group polarization on the internet
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Group polarization in terrorist organizations
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What is the affect of group presences on others’ opinions?
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What is the difference between informational and normative influence?
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Informational Influence
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Normative Influence
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Social Comparison
Evaluating one’s opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others.
Pluralistic ignorance
A false impression of what most other people are thinking or feeling, or how they are responding.
Group Think
“The mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action”
–Irving Janis
What is “groupthink,” and how has this been applied to “real life?” In what conditions is “groupthink” fostered?
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What is “groupthink,” and how has this been applied to “real life?” In what conditions is “groupthink” fostered?
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What is “groupthink,” and how has this been applied to “real life?” In what conditions is “groupthink” fostered?
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Symptoms of Groupthink
- Feeling invulnerable
- Belief in group’s morality
- Shared rationalization
- Stereotyping outgroup
- Self-censorship
- Pressuring dissenters
- Unanimity illusion
- Mind guards
An illusion of invulnerability
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Unquestioned belief in the group’s morality
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Rationalization
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Stereotyped view of opponent
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Conformity pressure
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Self-censorship
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Illusion of unanimity
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Mindguards
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Critiquing Groupthink
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How can “groupthink” be prevented?
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How can a minority of people have influence on a group? What are some characteristics?
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Leadership
The process by which certain group members motivate and guide the group.
Task leadership
Leadership that organizes work, sets standards, and focuses on goals.
Social leadership
Leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support.
Transformational leadership
Leadership that, enabled by a leader’s vision and inspiration, exerts significant influence.
