People in groups (VL 7) Flashcards
1
Q
What is a group?
A
- Collection of people who define themselves as a group
- The attitudes and behaviors are defined by the norms of the group
- Entails shared goals, interdependence, mutual influence, and face-to-face interaction
2
Q
Why do people join groups?
A
- To get things done that cannot be done alone
- To gain a sense of identity
- To obtain social support
- For the pleasure of social interaction
3
Q
Evolutionary Psychology
A
- Behavior is determined by attempts to reach goals of survival and reproduction
- Many fundamental skills possessed by humans will relate to group behavior like cooperation and collaboration
- Groups help to reproduce successfully by providing a set of mates
- Groups provide security and the means of defense
- Groups allow better opportunities for food gathering and production
4
Q
Accomplishing Goals
A
- Some things cannot be achieved alone or it´s more fun to achieve them in a group
- We use groups to make important decisions
5
Q
Social Affiliation and Attachment
A
- Benefits to our psychological well-being (affiliation and acceptance by others)
- Friendship and companionship are a fundamental need
- Self-esteem is in large parts measured by how much we feel accepted by others
6
Q
Socialization
A
- Group membership is a dynamic process, sense of commitment varies, different roles are occupied at different times, sharp transitions between roles are endured, we are socialized by the group in many ways
- Groups develop norms to regulate the behavior of members, to define the group, to distinguish the group from other groups
7
Q
The effect of the group on individual performance
A
- Easy, well-learned tasks are performed better in the presence of others
- Difficult, poorly learned tasks are performed worse in the presence of others
- Social presence may drive habitual (gewohnheitsmäßig) behaviors, we may learn to worry about performance evaluation by others, we may be distracted by others, others may make us self-conscious or concerned about our self-presentation
8
Q
Zajonc´s drive theory of social facilitation
A
Presence of others leads to arousal and to an increase in performing dominant responses. This can lead to either social facilitation (Begünstigung) or social inhibition (Hemmung)
9
Q
Distraction
A
- Physical presence of other people can be distracting and produce conflict between the task and the audience
- Attentional conflict also produces drive that fosters dominant responses
- We become aware of the discrepancies between our aim and what we are actually accomplishing
- On easy tasks we have the concentration to overcome distraction, but on hard tasks our ability to try harder is not enough to overcome the distraction, leading to worse performance
- Especially if others expect us to do well, we get particularly distracted
- Evidence: Baumeister and Steinhilber found that professional athletes frequently performed poorly in crucial games played in front of their own fans –> Bayern Munich penalty shootout in the Champions League finale
- Either prevention or promotion orientation are triggered
10
Q
Drive-Arousal – Meta analysis by Bond and Titus
A
- The presence of others significantly increased the rate of performing simple tasks and decreased the rate and quality of performance on complex tasks
- Drive arousal also applies to animals –> dominance shows more when others are around
11
Q
Difference between group and individual performance
A
People tend to put less effort into task performance in groups than when alone, unless
- The task is involving and interesting
- Their individual contribution is clearly identifiable
- The group is important to their self-definition –> even more effort in group than alone possible
12
Q
The Ringelmann Effect
A
- Ringelmann investigated the ability of individuals to reach their full potential when working together on tasks
- Tested by rope pulling
- Assumption: Group amount = sum of the contributions of the individuals
- Result: The force per person went down with the size of the group productivity decreased
- Why? Coordination Losses and Motivation Losses
- -> Coordination losses: Maximum performance only occurs when all the group members but their greatest effort at the same time coordination is difficult and difficulty increases in group size
- ->Motivation losses: social loafing (Soziales Faulenzen), occurs when individuals work in a Group
- -> Experiment by Latané, Williams and Harkins confirm the Ringelmann Effect (study shouting performance and find a reduction in volume of the individual shout to the group shout, both due to coordination loss and motivational loss/reduced effort/social loafing)
13
Q
Determinants of social loafing
A
- Causes that relate to the group process itself (group size and norms)
- Causes that relate to the task being performed (task attractiveness and significance)
- Causes that relate to the individual´s perception of his/her input to the group (deindividuation and free riding)
14
Q
Causes that relate to the group process itself (group size and norms)
A
- Bigger groups have more trouble coordinating their efforts
- Increase in group size leads to motivation losses, because individuals feel that their effort makes less a difference, they feel dispensable (überflüssig)
- Some norms may prohibit members from working up their full potential
- Social loafing is reduced when there is a strong group identity and members care about the group
15
Q
Causes that relate to the task being performed (task attractiveness and significance)
A
- More rewarding and interesting tasks produce less loafing
- When individuals do not feel dispensable or the task is personally important or visible, loafing is reduced
