Others 2 Theorists

Question 1

Norman Triplett (1898)

Answer 1

Social facilitation

Observed that cyclists are faster when racing against each other than against the clock
He then hypothesised that the presence of others improves performance, and set up a test where students were to wind a reel as fast as they could, either in a group or by themselves
The hypothesis was supported as those carrying out the task with others were faster

Question 2

Myers and Bishop (1970)

Answer 2

Group polarisation

Students made individual attitude judgements, and those who had high levels of prejudice were grouped together to discuss racial issues. Afterward they were asked to remake their judgements, and this shows they had become even more prejudiced after group discussion

Question 3

Solomon Asch (1951)

Answer 3

Conformity

Social pressure from a majority group
Had a group of mainly confederates with one actual participant. The group would be asked questions with relatively straight forward answers, the actors would all give the same wrong answer, and then the participant would have to answer in front of the group. In his original study 37% conformed to the groups answer

Question 4

Milgram

Answer 4

Obedience

Tested people’s propensity to obey authority when ordered to hurt another person
Participant - “teacher” confederate - “learner”
The leaner was supposedly taken to another room and attached to electrical wires, and had to learn a list of word pairs
The teacher and researcher went to another room with a fake electrical generator with increasing electrical output options. The teacher had to quiz the leaner on the word pairs and electrocute them for every wrong answer, starting with a small amount of 15 volts leading to a larger amount of 375 volts ‘danger: severe shock’ and ending with 450 volts ‘XXX’
The leaner would cry out in pain, scream, and eventually fail to respond as the voltage increases but the researcher prompted the teacher to continue

65% of teachers continued to the highest 450 volts which to their knowledge killed the other person.
100% continued to 300 volts, a severe shock

Question 5

Zimbardo

Answer 5

Obedience

Stanford Prison Experiment
Observed the dynamics between a group that had been given power over another group.
The guards fully embraced their role of power and the prisoners either become complacent and/or had mental break downs resulting in the experiment being shut down

Question 6

McMillan and Chavis

Answer 6

Sense of community

Proposed a clear definition:
Sense of community is a feeling that members have of belonging, a felling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members needs will be met through their commitment together.

Also proposed 4 elements of this definition:
Membership: feeling of belonging or sharing a sense of personal relatedness
Influence: a sense of mattering, of making a difference to a group and of the group mattering to its members
Integration and fulfilment of needs: feelings that member needs will be met by the resources revived through their membership to the group
Shared emotional connection: the commitment and belief that members have shared and will share history, common places, time together and similar experiences

Question 7

Kobasa (1979)

Answer 7

Personality may influence our reaction to stress
600 executives and managers
• Personality questionnaire
• Stressful situation and illness questionnaire
• Compared high stress / high illness (A) to high stress / low illness (B)
• Results
• B found change a challenge
• B felt more in control
• B had a sense of direction (in personal and professional lives)