Introduction to Groups Flashcards
What is a group?
“Two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships.”
Groups tend to be small, because the definition excludes groups that don’t interact in some way.
The relationships that bind groups together can be quite variable, but they typically involve something like face-to-face contact.
Commonality does not make a group - must be an ________________ of people that ________ to each other in some way
aggregation
relate
What is the Dunbar number?
up to 150 people (approx. max number of social relationships a person can maintain) - Dunbar # - ancestors lived in groups 130 - 150
What are some of the features of groups?
categorization, communication, influence, interdependence, interrelations, psychological significance, relations, shared identity, shared tasks, structure, systems
What are the four types of groups?
primary
social/secondary
collectives
categories
What are primary groups?
Small groups where people know each other well (e.g. families, groups of close friends)
(could include sports teams depending on how important the people in the group are to your life)
Who called them primary groups because they are constitutive of people’s social natures?
Cooley (sociologist)
What are social/secondary groups?
Larger groups, more formally organized, boundaries more permeable
Less intimate relations within the group
Historically more recent
(likely arose gradually with the advent of agriculture and then urbanization)
(could include a UFV classroom of students) - belonging but not in the intense way of a primary group (impersonal relationships)
What are collectives?
Very loosely structured, often large (e.g. a bunch of people queueing up to buy something)
What are some examples of categories?
Canadians, Psych professors, left-handed people, etc.
What are some of the characteristics of groups? (10)
Composition
Boundaries
Size
Interaction
Interdependence
Structure
Goals
Origin
Group cohesion
Entitativity
What does the composition of a group refer to?
Who are the members?
What do the boundaries of a group refer to? What are the two types?
Who cannot become members?
Open groups allow almost anyone to join (or leave) so membership is fluid.
Closed groups restrict membership more tightly.
What does the size of a group influence?
This influences other aspects of the group, for example how easily it can be broken down into subgroups and how many different social ties exist within the group.
In groups larger than about 150 (the Dunbar number), members have trouble connecting directly with everyone else.
What are the two types of interaction within a group?
Task interaction: Aspects of group behaviour primarily intended to carry out some work.
Relationship interaction: Aspects of group behaviour carried out for the sake of the relationships within it.
- primarily intended to maintain group harmony
What does the interdependence of a group refer to?
Groups differ in the degree to which members depend on one another.
That is, what happens to one member affects other members.
What does the structure of a group refer to? What are the three main components of structure?
How is the group organized?
Roles indicate particular types of tasks particular members are responsible for (e.g. leader, follower, minute-taker).
Norms indicate what actions should and should not be carried out.
Hierarchy has the potential to both help and harm group performance.
How does the hierarchy of a group have the potential to both help and harm group performance?
strengths - good at getting things done
weaknesses - bad at change when things go wrong
What are the four basic group goals according to McGrath?
generating ideas or plans,
choosing a solution,
negotiating a solution to a conflict,
executing (performing) a task
According to McGrath, what are the two types of generating ideas or plans?
Groups concoct the strategies they will use to accomplish their goals (Type 1: planning tasks)
create altogether new ideas and approaches to their problems (Type 2: creativity tasks)
According to McGrath, what are the two ways of choosing a solution to goals that groups use?
Groups make decisions about issues that have correct solutions (Type 3: intellective tasks)
questions that can be answered in many ways (Type 4: decision-making tasks)
According to McGrath, what are the two ways that groups negotiate conflict regarding goals?
Groups resolve differences of opinion among members regarding their goals or decisions (Type 5: cognitive conflict tasks)
settle competitive disputes among members (Type 6: mixed-motive tasks)
According to McGrath, what are the two ways that groups execute their goals?
Groups do things, including taking part in competitions (Type 7: contests/battles/competitive tasks)
creating some product or carrying out collective actions (Type 8: performances/psychomotor tasks)
What are the two ways that groups originate (are founded or formed)?
Planned
Emergent
Group cohesion is based on either of what two concepts?
Can be based either on commitment to the goals of a group or on social bonds within a group.
- not all about liking the other group members - commitment does not require liking each other
What does entitativity of a group refer to? What is its importance?
Does the group look/feel like a group?
- important because real groups are treated differently by others
What are group dynamics?
Interpersonal processes that occur within and between groups; also, the scientific study of those processes.
The actions of a group are partially the result of predispositions of the individual members but are also due to the way the individuals interact with each other.
What are formative processes of group dynamics?
groups satisfy a very basic human need—the need to belong—and the consequences of shifting from an individualistic, self-focused orientation to a group-level perspective
Formative processes involve those interactions that lead to an aggregation of individuals becoming a true group.
What are influence processes of group dynamics?
Members of groups, to get along with one another, must often go along: They must find their place in the group, comply with the group’s standards, accept guidance from the group’s leaders, and learn how to best influence one another.
Once people are members of a group, their actions are influenced by others in the group
What are performance processes of group dynamics?
groups outperform individuals when interpersonal processes boost members’ motivation
Groups get things done
What are conflict processes of group dynamics?
tensions tend to undermine the cohesiveness of the group and cause specific relationships within the group to weaken or break altogether
Conflict is very common within and between groups.
What are contextual processes of group dynamics?
All groups are embedded in a social and environmental context
Why study groups?
Groups profoundly change their members.
Most of the important actions in the world are undertaken by groups.
Human beings are fundamentally social; we cannot understand human nature without going into this.
