Social Behaviour - Influence of Groups Flashcards
What is a group?
collection of people with a shared feature or attribute
What is an in-group and an out group?
In group is ‘us’ and out group is people who don’t belong to that specific group e.g. in group = med students, out group = dentists
out-groups generally will have negative traits associated
What 3 main things does the presence of others have an influence on?
productivity
types of decisions made
attitudes and behaviours
What impact does a group have on productivity?
Social facilitation - better performance in competition
BUT, during more complex tasks
social inhibition - more errors, poorer perfomrance
Does the time taken to do an easy task (e.g type name) increase or decrease when someone is present and when someone is closely observing?
Decreases and decreases
Does the time taken to do a more complex task (e.g. type name backwards) increase or decrease when someone is present and when someone is closely observing?
Time taken increases for both, increases more when someone is present than when someone is evalutating
Which would exert the strongest pull on a rope? group of 6 people or summed pull of 6 people?
Summed pull of 6 people
What is social loafing?
Working less hard when in a group
What would be the effect of adding a pseudo group into a rope pulling task on the rest of the group?
Loss of motivation, no loss of coordination
What two factors are lost when working in a group?
Motivation
Coordination
Why does social loafing occur?
Unclear/different standards Output equity (others loaf too) Evaluation apprehension (hide in non-engaging tasks)
What are 3 ways to reduce social loafing?
Reduce group size (4 or less)
Make individual contributions identifiable (give people tasks)
Emphasise valuable individual contributions
What is risky shift?
A group consensus is almost always riskier than the average decision made by individuals
What is group polarisation?
Group discussion strengthens the average inclination of group members (if you have similar views, discussing in a group will strengthen these views)
Why does group polarisation occur?
Novel/persuasive arguments
social comparison and social desirability
Discussion produces a commitment
What is bystander apathy?
Less likely to help in an emergency if there are lots of people around
Why do we help others?
Social responsibility
Reciprocity - help people who help us
What is an altruist?
Someone who gives no though to the risk of self
What are norms?
Shared beliefs concerning appropriate conduct: rules (law) and implicits and behaviours
Are norms easy to change?
NO
What is conformity?
constructing and adhering to norms
What work did Solomon Asch do on conformity?
Yielding to the majority - people are more likely to give the wrong answer if the people before them gave that wrong answer even if they know it is wrong (line experiment). Only 4 people before required.
How many pole would conform on 1/2 of the trials of Solomon Asch? How many people would use their own judgement?
50%
2%
Why do people conform?
avoid ridicule, social disapproval
When does conformity from to 12.5%?
When allowed to write judgement privately
Who conforms?
Little consistency between groups - situational factors are the most important
In which cultures is conformity higher?
Collectivist cultures - Africa, Asia, S America
Group norms
(tribal based cultures)
What ruins the effect of conformity?
One deviant
What size group is required for conformity?
3 or 4
How can social norms affect health promotion?
Overestimates risk behaviour
Underestimate protective behaviour
Stereotypes lead to a focus on extremes
What is deinviduation and give an example?
Loss of self awareness when in a group - anonymity within a crowd (by mask or uniform)
e.g. Stanford Prison Experiment
Why does dehumanisation occur in group influences?
Victims are made anonymous and seen as targets and collateral damage in war - removes the fact that they are individuals
What is disinhibition?
Removal of inhibitions that norms provide us with that is often caused by group influence
