Social Behaviour - Influence of Groups

Question 1

What is a group?

Answer 1

collection of people with a shared feature or attribute

Question 2

What is an in-group and an out group?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What 3 main things does the presence of others have an influence on?

Answer 3

productivity
types of decisions made
attitudes and behaviours

Question 4

What impact does a group have on productivity?

Answer 4

Social facilitation - better performance in competition

BUT, during more complex tasks

social inhibition - more errors, poorer perfomrance

Question 5

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?

Answer 5

Decreases and decreases

Question 6

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?

Answer 6

Time taken increases for both, increases more when someone is present than when someone is evalutating

Question 7

Which would exert the strongest pull on a rope? group of 6 people or summed pull of 6 people?

Answer 7

Summed pull of 6 people

Question 8

What is social loafing?

Answer 8

Working less hard when in a group

Question 9

What would be the effect of adding a pseudo group into a rope pulling task on the rest of the group?

Answer 9

Loss of motivation, no loss of coordination

Question 10

What two factors are lost when working in a group?

Answer 10

Motivation

Coordination

Question 11

Why does social loafing occur?

Answer 11

Unclear/different standards
Output equity (others loaf too)
Evaluation apprehension (hide in non-engaging tasks)

Question 12

What are 3 ways to reduce social loafing?

Answer 12

Reduce group size (4 or less)
Make individual contributions identifiable (give people tasks)
Emphasise valuable individual contributions

Question 13

What is risky shift?

Answer 13

A group consensus is almost always riskier than the average decision made by individuals

Question 14

What is group polarisation?

Answer 14

Group discussion strengthens the average inclination of group members (if you have similar views, discussing in a group will strengthen these views)

Question 15

Why does group polarisation occur?

Answer 15

Novel/persuasive arguments
social comparison and social desirability
Discussion produces a commitment

Question 16

What is bystander apathy?

Answer 16

Less likely to help in an emergency if there are lots of people around

Question 17

Why do we help others?

Answer 17

Social responsibility

Reciprocity - help people who help us

Question 18

What is an altruist?

Answer 18

Someone who gives no though to the risk of self

Question 19

What are norms?

Answer 19

Shared beliefs concerning appropriate conduct: rules (law) and implicits and behaviours

Question 20

Are norms easy to change?

Answer 20

NO

Question 21

What is conformity?

Answer 21

constructing and adhering to norms

Question 22

What work did Solomon Asch do on conformity?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

How many pole would conform on 1/2 of the trials of Solomon Asch? How many people would use their own judgement?

Answer 23

50%

2%

Question 24

Why do people conform?

Answer 24

avoid ridicule, social disapproval

Question 25

When does conformity from to 12.5%?

Answer 25

When allowed to write judgement privately

Question 26

Who conforms?

Answer 26

Little consistency between groups - situational factors are the most important

Question 27

In which cultures is conformity higher?

Answer 27

Collectivist cultures - Africa, Asia, S America
Group norms
(tribal based cultures)

Question 28

What ruins the effect of conformity?

Answer 28

One deviant

Question 29

What size group is required for conformity?

Answer 29

3 or 4

Question 30

How can social norms affect health promotion?

Answer 30

Overestimates risk behaviour
Underestimate protective behaviour
Stereotypes lead to a focus on extremes

Question 31

What is deinviduation and give an example?

Answer 31

Loss of self awareness when in a group - anonymity within a crowd (by mask or uniform)
e.g. Stanford Prison Experiment

Question 32

Why does dehumanisation occur in group influences?

Answer 32

Victims are made anonymous and seen as targets and collateral damage in war - removes the fact that they are individuals

Question 33

What is disinhibition?

Answer 33

Removal of inhibitions that norms provide us with that is often caused by group influence