Chapter 8 - Group processes (Lecture + Book done) Flashcards
Define groupthink. Example? (2)
-the tendency for groups to begin to think as one
Example: Freedom Convoy
Define group
-three or more people who are interacting with each other and are interdependent
What are two people usually referred to as?
-dyad
What type of mindset may form in groupthink?
-us vs. them
Are groups a bunch of people who happen to be occupying the same space?
-no, groups are people who have come together for a common purpose
Why do people join groups? (2)
-we can achieve more in a group often than individually
-basic human need to be in groups
What is another important function of groups?
-they help us define who we are
What did research on university students by James Cameron suggest about groups?
-the groups to which we belong plays an important role in defining who we expect to be in the future and asked students if they felt they belonged at the university they were at and this was associated with positive self-esteem and well-being and that being a student at this university would help them become the self they aspired to be in the future
People who engage more strongly with a group are more likely to do what according to research by O’Neill?
-engage in social action
What size is a social group? What is not a social group? (2)
-usually 3-6 people
-the university you attend is not a social group because it is too large
Describe social norms in groups
-they are a powerful determinant of behaviour and are often present in groups
Define social roles
-shared expectations about how particular people are supposed to behave
Describe the difference between social norms and roles.
Norms: specify how all group members should behave
Roles: specify how people who occupy certain positions in the group should behave
When a group follows a set of clearly defined roles, what do they tend to experience?
-more satisfaction and a better performance
What is a con of roles?
-they can become so strong that someone’s personal identity and personality are lost, like in the Stanford prison experiment (Zimbardo)
What did Zimbardo say contributed to the tragic loss of decency among Americans in charge of the Iraqi prison? (3)
-role of prison guard
-anonymity
-dehumanization of the prisoners (easy because they didn’t speak the same language and many were naked)
What percentage of women between the ages of 25 and 54 in Canada are employed outside the home?
-82%
Do women or men have more university degrees or certificates?
-women have 35%, men 30%
In a survey of 28 countries, how many countries did women earn significantly less than men?
-26
What percent of minimum wage earners did women constitute in 2018?
-60%
According to 2019 data, the average woman in Canada makes how much per every dollar earned by a man?
-84 cents
According to 2018 data reported by Statistics Canada how many hours of unpaid work do women complete in the home everyday compared to men?
-3.9 hours women to 2.4 hours for men
Based on a study of children and a parents belief about traditional vs. egalitarian gender roles, what was found?
-mother’s beliefs about domestic gender roles predicted the beliefs held by their children
In advertising, describe gender roles still seen?
-men are still much more likely to be featured in the foreground of the ad than women
Describe which countries found the prominent characters in advertisements were more likely to be male, less of a gender difference and more likely to be female. (3)
Male: Brazil
More equal: USA
Women: South Korea
Define group cohesiveness
-qualities of a group that bind members together and promote liking among them
If a group has formed primarily for social reasons, such as a group of friends who like to go to the movies together, what does more cohesiveness in this group mean?
-the group is better
What is associated with a more cohesive group? (3)
-members are more likely to stay in the group
-take part in group activities
-try to recruit like minded members
What is a drawback of group cohesiveness?
-group members’ concern with maintaining good relations becomes more important than finding good solutions to a problem
What is more likely with groups in terms of diversity?
-group members tend to be alike in age, sex, beliefs and opinions
What are the two reasons for homogeneity of groups? (2)
-many groups attract people who are already similar before they join
-groups tend to operate in ways that encourage similarity between individuals
What did the study by McLeod, Nobel and Cox look at?
-created groups of all white and groups of racially diverse students and asked them to brainstorm ideas about how to best attract tourists to the US. Groups that were homogenous reported greater liking for each other. However, the diverse groups came up with more feasible and effective ideas
Why are universities, military and police services currently spending resources to try to achieve diversity?
-they believe it will lead to improved performance
Describe the research by Robert Zajonc on cockroaches (2)
-placed a bright light (which cockroaches dislike) and time how long it took a roach to run and escape the light. Cockroaches ran faster when other roaches were watching than when they were alone
-had another test where it was a complicated maze rather than a runway and the cockroaches performed worse when watched by other cockroaches
What is required for a task to be done well when you are in the mere presence of other people?
-if the task is relatively simple and well learned it is done better when with others
When the task is difficult to people and animals do worse or better in the presence of others?
-worse
What is the theoretical reason Zajonc said for why the presence of others facilitates a well-learned or dominant response but inhibits a less practised or new response? (2)
-the presence of others increases physiological arousal
-when such arousal occurs, it is easier to do something that is simple but harder to do something complex or learn something new
Define social facilitation
-tendency for people to do better on simple tasks but worse on complex tasks when they are in the presence of others and their individual performance can be evaluated
Why does the presence of others lead to arousal? Describe the three theories to explain the role of arousal in social facilitation. (3)
-other people cause us to become alert and vigilant (they may do something that requires us to respond)
-they make us aware that we are being evaluated (this makes us feel even more arousal)
-they distract us from the task at hand
Define social loafing
-tendency for people to do worse on simple tasks but better on complex tasks when they are in the presence of others and their individual performance cannot be evaluated
What did Karau and Williams say about gendered social loafing? Why (2)
-the tendency to loaf is stronger in men than women
-women tend to be higher than men in relational interdependence, which is where the focus on and care about personal relationships with others
What does research say about when people are more likely to loaf at work together?
-when they expect to work with team members from a different culture
Define deindividuation. Example (2)
-the loosening of normal constraints on behaviour, leading to an increase in impulsive and deviant acts
Example: Online trolls
What did Kathleen van Royen research about cheating?
-showed participants a post about a girl who stole someone else’s boyfriend and saw what comments they made, the most effective comment was warning that parents could read the comments
Describe the three things that cause deindividuation to allow for more violent acts. (3)
-either presence of others or wearing masks make people feel less singled out and accountable for their actions (anonymity)
-presence of others lowers self-awareness
-it increases the extent to which people obey the group’s norms
What determines whether deindividuation will lead to negative behaviours?
-the specific norms of the group (are they violent or is it a dance party for example)
In general do groups do better or worse than individuals if people are motivated to search for the answer that is best for the entire group and not just themselves and if they rely on the person with the most expertise?
-they tend to do better than an individual
Define process loss. Example (2)
-any aspect of group interaction that inhibits good problem solving
Example: You know the right answer to something in a group but nobody listens to you
Do groups tend to focus on the information they already collectively share and less on information known only to one/few of the group members?
-yes
How does Irving Janis define groupthink?
-a kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner
According to Janis what conditions must be met for groupthink to occur?
-highly cohesive group, isolation from alternative viewpoints, directive leader, high stress and poor decision making procedures
Can groupthink (Irving’s definition) be achieved even when some of the antecedents are missing?
-yes
What has research shown are several steps to make groupthink less likely? (4)
-remain impartial
-seek outside opinions
-create subgroups
-seek anonymous opinions
Describe the Choice Dilemnas Questionnaire.
-a series of stories that present a dilemma for the main character and ask the reader to choose how much probability of success there would have to be before the reader would recommend a riskier action
What is risky shift?
-that groups tend to make decisions that are more extreme in the same direction as the individuals’ initial predispositions, so if they’re already riskier they will become even more risk in a group
Define group polarization
-the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of the members if the members’ initial tendency is to be risky and toward greater caution if the members’ initial tendency is to be cautious
Why does group polarization tend to happen?
-each person brings different persuasive arguments that cause people to become more persuaded
-social comparison interpretation is that people tend to align their position a bit more with the group and even more extreme sometimes to be seen as an impressive thinker
What is the great person theory?
-certain key personality traits make a person a good leader, regardless of the situation the leader faces
If the great person theory is true, what should we be able to do?
-isolate the key aspects of personality that make someone a good leader
Leaders tend to show what personality traits more so than nonleaders?
-slightly more intelligent, extraverted, charismatic, open to new experiences, confident and assertive
Do many personality characteristics correlate with leadership effectiveness?
-no
What did Peter Suedfeld at UBC find for one correlate of leadership effectiveness?
-integrative complexity
What is integrative complexity?
-the ability to recognize more than one perspective on an issue and be able to integrate these perspectives
Define transactional leaders
-set clear short-term goals and reward people who meet them
Define transformational leaders
-inspire followers to focus on common long-term goals
Are transformational and transactional leadership styles mutually exclusive?
-no
What is the contingency theory of leadership?
-the theory that leadership effectiveness depends both on how task oriented or relationship oriented the leader is and on the amount of control and influence the leader has over the group
What is the task-oriented leader?
-leader is more concerned with getting the job done than with the feelings of and relationship among workers
What is the relationship-oriented leader?
-concerned primarily with the feelings of and relationships among workers
What situations do task-oriented leaders do well in?
-high or low control work situations, as they bring structure
What situations are relationship oriented leaders most effective?
-moderate-control situations
What are agentic traits?
-assertive, controlling more associated with masculinity
What is the glass cliff?
-when women are put in positions of leadership during precarious times when crisis is occuring
What is a social dilemma? Example. (2)
-a conflict in which the most beneficial action for an individual will have harmful effects on everyone if chosen by most people
Example: Free book library outside of your house where people keep taking books
What is the tit-for-tat strategy?
-a way of encouraging cooperation by at first acting cooperatively but then always responding the way your opponent did on the previous trial
What is an integrative solution?
-the parties in a conflict make trade-offs on issues according to their different interests; each side concedes the most on issues that are unimportant to them but important to the other side
Are threats an effective way of reducing conflict?
-no, makes it worse
When does communication help to resolve conflict?
-if it is used to work out a solution for both parties
