Introduction to Groups

Question 1

What is a group?

Answer 1

“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.

Question 2

Commonality does not make a group - must be an ________________ of people that ________ to each other in some way

Answer 2

aggregation

relate

Question 3

What is the Dunbar number?

Answer 3

up to 150 people (approx. max number of social relationships a person can maintain) - Dunbar # - ancestors lived in groups 130 - 150

Question 4

What are some of the features of groups?

Answer 4

categorization, communication, influence, interdependence, interrelations, psychological significance, relations, shared identity, shared tasks, structure, systems

Question 5

What are the four types of groups?

Answer 5

primary
social/secondary
collectives
categories

Question 6

What are primary groups?

Answer 6

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)

Question 7

Who called them primary groups because they are constitutive of people’s social natures?

Answer 7

Cooley (sociologist)

Question 8

What are social/secondary groups?

Answer 8

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)

Question 9

What are collectives?

Answer 9

Very loosely structured, often large (e.g. a bunch of people queueing up to buy something)

Question 10

What are some examples of categories?

Answer 10

Canadians, Psych professors, left-handed people, etc.

Question 11

What are some of the characteristics of groups? (10)

Answer 11

Composition
Boundaries
Size
Interaction
Interdependence
Structure
Goals
Origin
Group cohesion
Entitativity

Question 12

What does the composition of a group refer to?

Answer 12

Who are the members?

Question 13

What do the boundaries of a group refer to? What are the two types?

Answer 13

Who cannot become members?

Open groups allow almost anyone to join (or leave) so membership is fluid.

Closed groups restrict membership more tightly.

Question 14

What does the size of a group influence?

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

What are the two types of interaction within a group?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What does the interdependence of a group refer to?

Answer 16

Groups differ in the degree to which members depend on one another.
That is, what happens to one member affects other members.

Question 17

What does the structure of a group refer to? What are the three main components of structure?

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

How does the hierarchy of a group have the potential to both help and harm group performance?

Answer 18

strengths - good at getting things done

weaknesses - bad at change when things go wrong

Question 19

What are the four basic group goals according to McGrath?

Answer 19

generating ideas or plans,

choosing a solution,

negotiating a solution to a conflict,

executing (performing) a task

Question 20

According to McGrath, what are the two types of generating ideas or plans?

Answer 20

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)

Question 21

According to McGrath, what are the two ways of choosing a solution to goals that groups use?

Answer 21

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)

Question 22

According to McGrath, what are the two ways that groups negotiate conflict regarding goals?

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

According to McGrath, what are the two ways that groups execute their goals?

Answer 23

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)

Question 24

What are the two ways that groups originate (are founded or formed)?

Answer 24

Planned
Emergent

Question 25

Group cohesion is based on either of what two concepts?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What does entitativity of a group refer to? What is its importance?

Answer 26

Does the group look/feel like a group?

• important because real groups are treated differently by others

Question 27

What are group dynamics?

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

What are formative processes of group dynamics?

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

What are influence processes of group dynamics?

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What are performance processes of group dynamics?

Answer 30

groups outperform individuals when interpersonal processes boost members’ motivation

Groups get things done

Question 31

What are conflict processes of group dynamics?

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

What are contextual processes of group dynamics?

Answer 32

All groups are embedded in a social and environmental context

Question 33

Why study groups?

Answer 33

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.