Group dynamics test 1 Flashcards
Define a group
Definition: Two or more individuals who are connected to one another by and within social relationships.
Definitions of groups vary, but they do have common characteristics.
What is a size of a typical group & who “discovered this”
2-7
Sociologist John James recorded the size of groups in Portland, Oregon (n = over 9000 from different settings – walking, shopping, playgrounds, etc.) and found that groups tend to gravitate to its smallest # = 2
who drew a distinction between primary groups & Secondary Groups?
define primary groups give an example
Cooley (1909)
Small, long-term groups characterized by face-to-face interaction & high levels of cohesiveness, solidarity, & member identification.
e.g: Families, close friends, tight-knit peer groups, gangs, elite military squads
Define a secondary group & give an example
A larger, less intimate, less commitment, more goal-focuses groups typical of more complex societies
e.g: Social groups such as congregations, workgroups, unions, professional associations
What is a planned group?
Deliberately formed by the members themselves or by an external authority, usually for some specific purpose or purposes
what is a concocted group? give an example
planned by individuals or authorities outside the group.
e.g?: production lines, military units, task forces, crews, professional sports teams
What is a founded group? - give an example
planned by individuals or authorities outside the group
e.g: study groups, small businesses, clubs, associations
Define Emergent groups
Groups that form spontaneously as individuals find themselves repeatedly interacting with the same subset of individuals over time and settings.
What is a circumstantial group? give an example
Emergent, unplanned groups arising when external, situational forces set the stage for people to join together, often only temporarily, in a unified group.
e.g.: waiting line, crowds, mobs, audiences, bystanders
what is a self-organizing group?
Emerge when interacting individuals gradually align their activities in a cooperative system of interdependence.
e.g: study groups, friendship cliques in a workplace, regular patrons at a bar.
Brian Lickel et al presented 40 scenarios - to determine what is least to most group like on a 1-9 likert scale(low entitativity -> high entitativity.
what were the types of groups he concluded?
- intimacy/ primary groups
- social / task groups
- weak associations/collectives
- categories
What are common characteristics?
- influence of size
- interaction: task and relation
interdependence: sequential, reciprocal, mutual
structure” roles, norms & relations
goals: generating, choosing, negotiating, executing
cohesion
What is the connection equation to determine the number of connections?
n(n-1)/2
N= Connections
e.g. a group of three would be: . 3(3-1)/2
What are the three types of goals
- process goals
- performance (task)
- intellectual (decision making)
What is McGarth’s circumplex model of group task?
2 dimensions & 4 quadrants
the dimensions:
1. conflict/ cooperation
2. conceptual / behaviour
4 Quadrants:
1. Generating - something that is created / produced
2. choosing - selecting (from alternatives
3. negotiation - group resolves conflict
4. Executing - requires action
Name some characteristics of groups - interdependence
Experiences (emotions, actions, communication, etc.) are determined by other members of the group and vice versa
e.g.: sports teams – experiences of one individual influences another, it could also be that that person who influences could influence back.
Define roles and norms
Roles – set of behaviours expected of people who occupy certain positions
Norms – a consensual standard that describes what behaviours should and should not be performed in a given context. Could be face to face, online groups, e.g. norm in a classroom = raising a hand. Norm @ tim’s – server asks “what could you like?”. Norms are powerful and create structures.
Who defined group cohesion as:
“a dynamic process that is reflected in the tendency of a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its instrumental objectives and/or for the satisfaction of member needs. The bond that brings you together to achieve the goal.
Carron, Brawley & Widmeyer (1998)
What is Donald Campbell’s theory of entitativity (1958)?
Entitativity is perceived groupness rather than an aggregation of independent, unrelated individuals
Gestalt principles = groups are more than the some of its parts
• Common Fate – do individuals experience the same outcomes?
• Similarity – do individual perform similar behaviours or resemble one another
• Proximity – how close together are the individuals in the group. Creates more bonds.
When was the group dynamics field created?
• A formal field of student emerged in the late 1800s. started to emerge in the 1930’-50’s.
it was slow to emerge because it was too complex and there was a lack of agreement between theorists/researchers.
started to emerge around the industrial revolution, democracy & technology in the US.
Who was the first to formally study the impacts of groups on individual performance? and what did he study?
Norman Triplett (1898) – social facilitation – when the presence of someone else, influences their performance.
his experiment: cyclists who would go from point a-b timed it then compared it when they raced someone. Their performance improved (time increased).
• This help Triplett understand and understand a concept called social facilitation.
• Early research stated it always improves performance but newer studies show it can decrease performance.
define group fallacy & who is associated with it?
Floyd Allport,
oThe group fallacy – attributing qualities that only individuals possess to groups. – a group has a central nervous system.
oConcept of the G curve – in some cases group members do perform similarity.
Name Tuckmans theory of groups development
5 levels
Orientation (forming)
exchange of backgroup personal info, uncertainty, tentative communication
Conflict (storming)
dissatisfaction, disagreement, challenges to leader and procedures, cliques form
Structure (norming)
Cohesiveness, agreement on procedures, standards, and roles, improved communication
Performance (performing)
focus on the work of the group, task completion, decision making, cooperation
Dissolution (adjourning)
departures, withdrawl, decreased dependence, regret
What is the multilevel approach to studying groups?
- Micro level: focus on the individual (psychological)
- Meso (group) level: focus on the group and social context (sociological)
- Macro level: focus on organizational/ community level
- Multi-level: adopts multiple perspectives on groups
- In general you should adapt a multilevel study.
What are the three critical requirements of a scientific study group?
1) Theories that organize knowledge of groups – detailed questioning/ observation and hypotheses regarding individuals within groups
2) Research procedures (i.e., effective experimental design) to test hypotheses about groups – e.g., Kurt Lewin believed that the creation of a empirically verifiable theory was the essence of group science
3) Reliable and valid measurement
- You are only as good as the work you put into it
- Every research study is flawed, we try to learn from it and increase objectivity – it is continuous.
Who is known as the founder of group dynamics?
and what was his theory?
Kurt Lewin
Lewin’s (1951) field theory: behavior is a function of the person and the environment.
B = f(P, E). p= person e= environment
How did Lewin define the study of group dynamics?
The study of group dynamics is “a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action and fact-finding about the result of the action” (Lewin, 1946)
Define action research and identify the four categories.
Action research: integrates theory and applied research and shares experimental methods guidelines.
- theory - the the framework
research - valdiated or disconfirms theory, leading to refinement
practice / application - new theory & research
Bought a systematic approach to the field topics
Define the three multi-level perspectives
Micro-Level – qualities, attributes, actions of individual members
Meso-Level – group level factors – size of group, cohesiveness, structure, norms, social support. Looking at groups from a small group perspective.
Macro-Level – larger group qualities such as: communities, societies, might look at provinces, we can go within the provinces or we can look at the Canadians vs American etc.
Define reliability
Reliability is synonymous with consistency and precision. It is the degree to which test scores for an individual test taker or group of test takers are precise and consistent over repeated applications
e.g: A student receives a score of 100 on one intelligence tests and 114 on another or imagines that every time you stepped on a scale it showed a different weight
internal consistency
- Measures the reliability of a test solely on the number of items on the test and the intercorrelation among the items. - compares each item to every other item.
- Looks at the percisions and connection within the items. The inner workings of it. E.g. the test items, we have to look at how connected each of the items are.
what is an Item total correlations
give an examples
the correlation of the item with the remainder of the items. • E.g. for our class we have items for our midterm and final, they are all correlated to each other in some way.
Test-retest reliability
Test-retest reliability is usually measured by computing the correlation coefficient between scores of two administrations.
What does inter Rater reliability mean?
Interrater reliability means that if two different raters scored the scale using the scoring rules, they should attain the same result.
define predictive validity
The extent to which scores on the scale are related to, and predictive of, some future outcome that is of practical utility.
e.g., If higher scores on the SAT are positively correlated with higher G.P.A.’s and visa versa, then the SAT is said to have predictive validity.
explain the relationship between reliability & validity
Tests that are reliable are not necessarily valid or predictive.
• If the reliability of a psychological measure increases, the validity of the measure is also expected to increase.
•We want to have a valid and reliable measure, the dart board is validity, and the dots show over repeated measures we are getting similar results.
Identify three research methods and explain them.
- Case Studies
• An in-depth analysis of one or more groups based on interviews, observation, analysis of archival documents, and so on.
• Example: Irving Janis’s Analysis of group think – When your group is so cohesive they agree and it becomes irrational and detrimental – e.g. cult - Experiments:
Key Ingredients:
•Manipulate one or more independent variables
•Measure one or more dependent variables
•Control other variables, as much as possible
•Strength – causal inference
•E.g: Lewin, Lippitt & whites Leadership study. – interested in the impact of different styles of leadership
3.Correlational Studies
•Key Ingredients:
•Measure two or more variables
•Assess the strength of the relationship between the variables
•Called “Correlational” studies because the finding is often expressed in the form of a correlational coefficient.
•E.g: Newcomb’s Bennington study – studied the attitudes of college studied over 4 years, group process was responsible for the shift in the attitude of changing to liberal political outlook.
What are the issues with the three research methods
- Case studies: atypical of most groups, subjective, stimulate theory
- Experiments: too artificial, not “real” groups, but the clearest test of cause and effect
- Correlational studies: limited information about causality but precise estimates of the strength of relationships, less artificial, fewer ethical concerns
