Group Psychology 8.1 [HY]

Question 1

Michelangelo phenomenon

Answer 1

The concept of self is made up of both the intrapersonal self, the ideas that individuals have regarding their own abilities, traits, and beliefs, and the interpersonal self, the manner in which others influence creation of the ideal self.

Question 2

Social Action (Weber)

Answer 2

• defined as actions and behaviors that individuals are
  performing or modulating because others are around.
• humans will behave in different ways based on their social environment and how their behavior will affect those around them.

Question 3

Yerkes–Dodson law of social
facilitation

Answer 3

• being in the presence of others will significantly raise arousal,
  which enhances the ability to perform tasks one is already good at (or simple tasks), and hinders the performance of less familiar tasks (or complex tasks).
• people naturally exhibit a
  performance response when they know they are being watched.

Question 4

Deindividuation

Answer 4

• the loss of one’s self-awareness in a group setting and the associated adoption of a more group oriented identity.
• Reasons: group cohesion and individual anonymity
• group settings increase anonymity and thus diffuse the sense of individual responsibility for the actions of the group
• leads to antinormative behavior riots

Question 5

Antinormative behavior

Answer 5

• behavior not socially acceptable in most social circumstances; behavior “against the norm.”

Question 6

Reasons for Bystander Effect

Answer 6

• when in groups, people are less likely to notice danger or anything out of the ordinary
• when in groups, humans take cues from others. If other people are not responding to a situation, an individual is less likely to perceive the situation as a threat or emergency.
• perceived danger plays a role in response. In low-danger scenarios, bystanders are less likely to provide aid; in high-danger scenarios, bystanders are more likely to intervene.
• degree of responsibility felt by the bystanders. This is determined by the competency of the bystanders, their relationship to the at risk individual(s), and whether they consider considers the person(s) at risk to be deserving of aid.
• cohesiveness of the group has been shown to influence responsiveness. In groups made up of strangers, the likelihood of a response, and the speed of that response, is much slower than in a group of well-acquainted individuals.

Question 7

Social Loafing

Answer 7

• tendency of individuals to reduce effort when in a group setting
• Physical and Mental effort

Question 8

Identity shift effect

Answer 8

• When an individual’s state of harmony is disrupted by a threat of social rejection, the individual will often conform to the norms of the group.
• individuals will often
  conform to an opinion held by the group

Question 9

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 9

• the simultaneous presence of two opposing thoughts
  or opinions.

Question 10

Asch Conformity Experiment

Answer 10

• individuals will sometimes provide answers they know to
  be untrue if it avoids going against the group

Question 11

Group polarization

Answer 11

• tendency for groups to collaboratively make decisions that are more extreme than the individual ideas and inclinations of the members within the group.
• polarization can lead to
  riskier or more cautious decisions based on the initial tendencies of the group members toward risk or caution.
• individuals in groups will form opinions that are more extreme than the opinions they would reach in isolation
• Simply reading others’ ideas on social media sites can result in more extreme ideas from individuals.

Question 12

Choice shift

Answer 12

• refers specifically to measured changes in decisions before and after group interaction
• members of the same political party may espouse the same ideals and opinions in the group setting but may waver slightly on issues when alone

Question 13

Groupthink

Answer 13

• a social phenomenon in which desire for harmony or
  conformity results in a group of people coming to an incorrect or poor decision. In an attempt to eliminate or minimize conflict among the group members, consensus decisions are reached without alternative ideas being assessed.

Question 14

8 Factors of Groupthink

Answer 14

• Illusion of invulnerability: Members encourage risks, ignore possible pitfalls and are too optimistic.
• Collective rationalization: Members ignore expressed concerns about group approved ideas.
• Illusion of morality: Members believe ideas produced by the group are morally Members believe ideas produced by the group are morally correct, disregarding evidence to the contrary.
• Excessive stereotyping: Members construct stereotypes of those expressing outside opinions.
• Pressure for conformity: Members feel pressured not to express opinions that disagree with the group, and view opposition as disloyal.
• Self-censorship: Members withhold ideas and opinions that disagree with the group.
• Illusion of unanimity: Members believe the decisions and judgments of the group to be without disagreement, even if it does exist.
• Mindguards: Some members may decide to take on a role protecting the group against opposing views.

Question 15

Cultural Assimilation

Answer 15

• process by which an individual’s or group’s behavior and culture begin to resemble that of another group
• One group will generally have more power and influence than
  the other, resulting in more traits of that culture being displayed after transformation.
• Four primary factors are sometimes used to assess the
  degree of assimilation in immigrant communities: socioeconomic status, geographic distribution, language attainment, and intermarriage

Question 16

Ethnic Enclaves

Answer 16

• locations (usually neighborhoods) with a high concentration of one specific
  ethnicity

Question 17

Multiculturalism

Answer 17

• celebration of coexisting cultures; a cultural mosaic