Group Processes Flashcards
What are the reasons for joining a group?
Lack of choice, reach goals, uncertainty reduction (guidelines for how to behave)
effects of not being in a group - social ostracism (exclusion from a group by common consent)
What is group cohesiveness?
The extent to which forces push group members closer together such as through feelings of intimacy, unity, and commitment to group goals
What are roles?
Set of expected behaviours; can be formal or informal
What happened in Zimbardo’s study?
PRISON STUDY - students allocated as prisoners or guards - study haltered early due to extreme role adoption
What is status?
Some roles/groups have more prestige.
What are the status characteristics?
Specific (directly related) vs diffuse (generally valued)
What are norms?
Rules of conduct for members
Can be = formal or informal; descriptive or prescriptive; explicit or implicit
How do norms influence individuals?
Provide guidelines on how to behave as a typical group member and can influence the individual in the absence of the group
What is social facilitation?
Process whereby the presence of others enhances performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks
What are the three social facilitation theories?
- Drive theory (Zajonc)
- Evaluation apprehension theory
- Distraction-conflict theory
What is the drive theory?
Arousal drives energy to produce a dominant response (other’s mere presence produces social facilitation)
What is the Evaluation apprehension theory?
Attentive others produce fear of evaluation
What is the Distraction-conflict theory?
Distraction from the key task
What is social loafing?
Group-produced reduction in individual output on tasks where contributions are pooled
Describe Latane et al’s social loafing study
CHEERING/CLAPPING STUDY - found motivation loss = social loafing
What are the factors that influence social loafing?
- greater anonymity: increases loafing
- valuing/involvement in task: lowers loafing
- believing one can help achieve the desired outcome: lowers loafing
- intergroup comparison: lowers loafing
- anticipated loafing of others: lowers loafing
What is deindividuation?
Loss of a person’s sense of individuality and the reduction of normal constraints against deviant behaviour
What is LeBon’s theory of crowd behaviour?
People become barbaric
What is a social identity perspective?
Not lost identity in a crowd but shift from personal to shared social identity as a crowd member
What is brainstorming?
A technique that attempts to increase the production of creative ideas by encouraging group members to speak freely without criticising their own or others contributions
What can cause poor performance in brainstorming?
- evaluation apprehension
- social loafing/free-riding
- production blocking (interference effects)
- performance matching
What is groupthink?
Group decision-making style characterised by an excessive tendency among group members to seek concurrence
What has archival research of historical events shown about groupthink?
The desire for unanimity can override rational decision-making processes
What are strategies to prevent groupthink?
- wide consultation with outsiders
- encouragement of criticism
- use of sub-groups to discuss issues
- follow-up meetings to review major decisions
What is group polarisation?
Exaggeration of initial tendencies in the thinking of group members through group discussion
What are social dilemmas?
The situation in which a self-interested choice by everyone will create the worst outcome for everyone
What factors can influence juries?
- group decision making processes discussed and conformity (informational and normative)
- the race of the accused - racial composition can have an effect
- jury foreperson/jury speaker - diffuse status characteristics
- the harshness of penalties (if too harsh, backfires)
