Group Think

Question 1

theories that have explained group polarization

Answer 1

social comparison theory, information theory, self- categorization theory

Question 2

sanders and baron (1977)

Answer 2

social comparison theory - individuals in a group want to present themselves in a favorable light and want to be positively evaluated by other group members.

Question 3

social comparison theory related to group polarization

Answer 3

if individuals see other group members endorsing positions closer to the some goal other than their own then they will change their position towards goal to be regarded positively by the group members

Question 4

Baron and Roper (1976)

Answer 4

study - autokinetic effect - Participants were told that large estimates of the amount of movement were a sign of high intelligence, participants gave higher estimates when speaking out loud; participants gave lower estimates when writing it down - sign of competition

Question 5

Group polarization

Answer 5

occurs when the group’s initial average becomes mor extreme following group interaction; it is the tendency for groups to produce fairly extreme decisions

Question 6

isenberg (1986)

Answer 6

meta-analysis: social comparison effects were much stronger when value or emotional issues were discussed than when factual issues were discussed

Question 7

burnstein and vinokur (information theory)

Answer 7

The exposure to a range of convincing facts and arguments leads group members to move to more extreme positions than those which they adopted initially; once given enough information and evidence people can change their minds and the group is more polarized

Question 8

burnstein and vinokur (1973)

Answer 8

info. theory and social comparison theory differed - according to information theory, the information provided by the other group members should have been more detailed and persuasive when they were arguing for their own POV. Social comparison is not possible b/c they do not know the views of the other group memebers.

Question 9

Stasser and titus (1985)

Answer 9

personnel selection - gave 4 members of the panel info; gave 2 of 4 members extra info; information discussed was only the info that was equally given to all members of the panel; panel failed to select best candidate

Question 10

larson et al. (1996)

Answer 10

medical experts - shared information was more likely to be introduced than unshared info; The emphasis on shared information gives the clear advantage to majority opinion in the group

Question 11

stewart and stasser (1995)

Answer 11

why are individuals reluctant to discuss unshared info? - the validity of the unshared info was often doubted b/c it could not be confirmed

Question 12

self-categorization theory

Answer 12

members of an in group often want to distinguish themselves from other groups; do this by adopting extreme versions of their views

Question 13

mackie and cooper (1984)

Answer 13

listened to a tape; standardized tests should be retained or abandoned for university entry; recognized as ingroup or outgroup; ingroup had much greater effects in altering the views of the group listening to the tape

Question 14

Janis (1982)

Answer 14

group think - the psychological drive for consensus of anycost that suppresses dissent and appraisal of alternatives in cohesive decision-making groups; agreeing is more important than the outcome

Question 15

causes of group think

Answer 15

cohesive group; considers few options; blocked from any info; much stress/time pressure; dominated by directive leader

Question 16

kroon et al. (1991)

Answer 16

reduce group think - views were challenged when thought to be held personally accountable