Exam 3 Flashcards
(127 cards)
group
Two or more people who interact and are interdependent
- needs and goals of group members cause them to influence e/o
group benefits (4)
- accomplish objectives that would be more difficult to meet
individually - An important source of info
- resolve ambiguity in the social world - Important aspect of identity
- define who we are and our place in the world - est social norms
social role
Shared expectations in a group about how particular people in the group are supposed to behave/act
social role cost
individual identities and
personalities can get lost
group cohesiveness
Qualities of a group that bind its members together and promote liking between them
age, sex, beliefs, opinions
Cohesiveness can interfere with optimal performance
If maintaining good relationships are more important than performance
group diversity
diverse groups perform better at tasks that req problem solving b/c high cohesive group members tend to agree w e/o
social facilitation:
in the presence of others and when individual performance can be evaluated, ppl…
do BETTER on SIMPLE tasks
- arousal enhances performance
do WORSE on COMPLEX tasks
- arousal impairs performance
social facilitation theories (3)
- Other people cause us to
become particularly alert and vigilant - Other people make us feel like we are being evaluated and apprehensive
- can cause mild arousal - Other people distract us from
the task at hand
- Divided attention produces arousal
social loafing:
in the presence of others and
their individual performance CANNOT be evaluated, ppl..
do WORSE on SIMPLE tasks
- relaxation impairs performance
do BETTER on COMPLEX tasks
- relaxation improves performance
process loss
Any aspect of a group interaction that inhibits good problem solving
- ex the expert in the group doesn’t share their ideas
process loss occurs (3)
- Groups might not try hard enough to find out who the most competent member is
- The most competent member might find it difficult to disagree with everyone else (NSI)
- Communication problems can arise in general
reduce process loss (2)
- have group discussions last long enough to get beyond what everyone already knows.
- Assign different members specific tasks so that they alone are responsible for certain types of info
groupthink
maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner
groupthink occurs (3)
- highly cohesive
- isolated from contrary opinions
- ruled by a directive leader who makes their wishes known
avoiding groupthink (4)
- remain impartial
- seek outside opinions
- seek anonymous opinions
- create subgroups
group polarization
The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of its members
- engaging in more extreme behaviors/activities as a group that you wouldn’t do alone
group polarization occurs (2)
- Persuasive arguments
interpretation - Social comparison interpretation
Persuasive arguments
interpretation
Individuals bring to the group a set of arguments, some of which have not been considered by other individuals, in order to PERSUADE the group to do something
ex “everyone does it. It’s gonna be fun”
Social comparison interpretation
When people discuss an issue in a group, they first explore how everyone else feels by COMPARING their feelings about the issue
“if everyone is doing it, then I’m gonna do it too”
- taking a position that is similar to everyone elseʼs but a little more extreme to be liked
Great person theory
certain key personality traits make a person a good leader, regardless of the situation
leadership styles (2)
- transactional
- transformational
transactional leaders
Leaders who set clear, short-term goals and reward people who meet them
transformational leaders
Leaders who inspire followers
to focus on common, long-term goals
ex politicians