Lecture 10 - “Better You”: Working in Groups

Question 1

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Describe the Norman Triplett (1898) study.

Answer 1

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Norman Triplett (1898)

• Cyclists race faster when competing against others than when alone
• Children pulled on a fishing line faster in the presence of others than when alone.

Question 2

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Define social facilitation.

Answer 2

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Social facilitation is the tendency to perform better in the presence of others than when alone.

Clendenen, V. I. et al. (1994). Social facilitation of eating among friends and strangers. Appetite, 23(1), 1-13.

Question 3

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Describe the Floyd Allport (1920) study.

Answer 3

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Floyd Allport (1920)

• Participants were more productive in the presence of others (e.g., generated more arguments), but the quality of their work declined (e.g., poorer arguments were given).

Question 4

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Define social inhibition.

Answer 4

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Social inhibition is the tendency to perform worse in the presence of others than when alone.

Question 5

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Describe Zajonc (1965) study that investigated social inhibition and facilitation, how it occurs.

Describe a study that supports his findings.

Answer 5

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see slide 7

SUPPORT:
Michaels et al. (1982)
• The shot accuracy of good billiards players increased in the presence of others.
• The shot accuracy of poor billiards players decreased in the presence of others.

Question 6

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Name three theories that can explain the social facilitation and inhibition.

Answer 6

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see slide 11

Question 7

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Read slide 12

Answer 7

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Question 8

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Define:

• Additive tasks
• Conjunctive tasks
• Disjunctive tasks

Answer 8

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Additive tasks:
- The maximum contribution you can make within a group is equal (tug of war) - if you slack off a little bit, no one will know (not that motivating)

Conjunctive tasks:
- If someone is not working as efficiently, the outcome is slower for everyone else, (an assembly line in a packing factory)

Disjunctive tasks:
- Different people have different abilities relative to different components of the task.

Question 9

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Describe Rignelmann’s Rope-Pulling Study.

Answer 9

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You pull less hard than when you’re in a group.

see slide 16

Question 10

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Define social loafing.

Answer 10

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Social loafing is the tendency to work less on a collective activity than when alone.

Question 11

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Give three factors that can influence self loafing.

Answer 11

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see slide 18

• Loafing is lower when people work with acquaintances than with strangers (Karau & Williams, 1997).
• Loafing is lower when the reward for group success is valued (Shepperd & Wright, 1985) or the task is challenging (Jackson & Williams, 1985).

Question 12

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Define social compensation.

Answer 12

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Social compensation occurs when people exert effort to compensate for others in the group.

Question 13

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read slide 22

Answer 13

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Question 14

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Define the The Köhler (1927, 1928) effect

Answer 14

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The Köhler (1927, 1928) effect occurs when a yoked dyad exerts more effort on a valued task than one person working alone.
(social compensation)

read slide 24

• In the Köhler (1927, 1928) effect, the increased effort comes from the least competent person.
• In contrast, social compensation involves increased effort from the most competent person.
• Increases performance in teamed exercise (Kerr, Feltz, & Irwin, 2012).

Question 15

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read slide 26-27

Answer 15

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