Group Dynamics

Question 1

Hierarchy of Needs

Answer 1

Bottom to top:
Basic needs: physiological needs (food, water, rest..) & safety needs (security, safety)
Psychological needs: Belongingness and love nees & esteem needs (prestige and feeling of accomplishment)
Self-fulfillment needs: Self-actualization (achieving one’s full potential, including creative activities)

See mindmap for picture

Question 2

Need to belong

Answer 2

Seeking bonds with others aids survival in many ways
1. Keeping children close to caregivers
2. Mutual protection in group
3. Cooperation in hunting and sharing food
4. Division of labor to allow growoing food
5. Emotional support to get through crisis

Question 3

Reasons to join online groups

Answer 3

Need to alleviate loneliness, attraction of relative anonymity, seeking like-minded people, allow for remote communication, present a version of themselves to their group, possibility of forming multinational groups

Question 4

Social Network Theory

Answer 4

The study of how the social structure of relationships around a person, group, or organization affects beliefs or behaviors.
- Focus on relationships between people (not characteristics)
- Uncover the emergent and informaal communication patterns present in a community
- Generates information about the types of network roles (bridges, isolates, starts)

Question 5

Stages of Group Formation

Answer 5

Forming (expose, exploration, info gathering) -> Storming (conflict, hierarchy definition, role taking) -> Norming (cohesion and trust, shared norms and values, emotional investment) -> Performing (objective oriented, group therapy, activity, intimacy) -> Adjourning (conclusion, deal with loss)

Question 6

Social Identity Theory

Answer 6

Self-concept corresponding to the group membership together ith the value and emotional significance of that membership

Question 7

Collective Identity

Answer 7

How people are similar to each other, when psychological connection between individual self and the social group is considered

Question 8

The Media Equation

Answer 8

Computers as social actors: we treat computers as social actors, mainly because we cannot fully understand what is happening. Effects are stronger with robots, because they act autonomously and simulate emotions.
Example:
Eyssel & Kuchenbrandt Armin (germany, ingroup) vs. Arman (Turkey, outgroup). People favoured ingroup over outgroup. Dehumanized outgroup robot.

Question 9

Groupthink

Answer 9

A kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner
Preconditions: highly cohesive group, isolated from contrary opinions, ruled by a directive leader who makes their wishes known

Question 10

Symptoms of Groupthink

Answer 10

1. Illusion of invulnerability: Being overly optimistic, ignoring obvious danger, and taking extreme risk.
2. Illusion of morality: Believing decisions are morally correct, regardless of ethical consequences.
3. Collective rationalization: Discrediting and explaining away warnings contrary to the groupthink.
4. Excessive stereotyping: Constructing rigid negative stereotypes of rivals outside the group.
5. Self-censorship: **Withholding one’s own opinions for fear **or persecution from the group.
6. Illusion of unanimity: Falsely perceiving everyone agrees with the groupthink; silence seen as consent.
7. Pressure for conformity: **Pressuring **any group member who expresses arguments against the groups’ stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, viewing such opposition as disloyalty.
8. Mindguards: Self-appointing of group member(s) to the role of **protecting the group from adverse information **that would threaten the groupthink.

Question 11

Benefits & drawbacks in decision making in Groups

Answer 11

Benefits: greater available knowledge.
1. Generate more ideas and solutions
2. Objective analysis, multiple perspectives
3. Feeling that a group decision is superior to individual decision

Drawbacks: groups making bad decisions
1. Group polarization
2. Common knowledge effects
3. Intergroup bias
4. Social influence (compliance, obedience, conformity)
5. Groupthink

Question 12

Intergroup bias Social Identity Theory

Answer 12

Automatic categorization of people on exterior characteristics
Intgroup bias towards own members:
- give higher rewards
- show more prosocial behaviour
- experience more positive affect
- Judge products more favourable

Question 13

Implicit bias

Answer 13

Implicit Association Test measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report

Question 14

Main points of Building Membership Attachment (Ren et al. 2012)

Answer 14

Online communities has many advantages, but difficult to build. Increasing members’ attachment: interpersonal bonds & group identity.
Affect generalization: affect towards one attitude object spreads to related objects.
Bond-based attachment: focus member attention on individual people
Identity-based attachment: focus member attention on the group

Main findings (movie recommendations):
1. Both identity and bond increase attachment to the group
2. Identity features had stronger effect
3. Stronger influence on participation than member retention