Week 6 Review - Group Processes

Question 1

What is group cohesiveness?

Answer 1

the extent to which forces push group members closer together such as through feelings of intimacy, unity, and commitment to group goals

Question 2

What are roles?

Answer 2

a set of expected behaviours; can be formal or informal

Question 3

What was Zimbardo’s prison study and what did it find?

Answer 3

simulated prison in psychology department basement: students allocated as ‘prisoners’ or ‘guards’: study halted early due to extreme role adoption

Question 4

What are norms?

Answer 4

The rules of conduct for group members. They can influence the individual in the absence of the group: the group is carried in the head of an individual in the form of a norm

Question 5

What is social facilitation?

Answer 5

process whereby the presence of others enhances performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks.

Question 6

What is Zajonc’s (1965) drive theory?

Answer 6

arousal drives energy to produce dominant response (others’ mere presence produces social facilitation)

Question 7

What is Cottrell’s evaluation apprehension theory?

Answer 7

Attentive others produce fear of evaluation (not just mere presence).

Question 8

What is Baron’s distraction-conflict theory?

Answer 8

attentional conflict - distraction from task the key to social facilitation (doesn’t need to be a person)

Question 9

What is social loafing?

Answer 9

group-produced reduction in individual output on tasks where contributions are pooled

Question 10

What did Latane’s clapping/cheering studies find?

Answer 10

University students were told to cheer or clap as loudly as they could. The noise produced by each of them decreased as the size of the group increased.

Question 11

What are some things that explain social loafing?

Answer 11

• output equity (expect others to loaf)
• evaluation apprehension
• matching to standard (no obvious performance standards to follow)

Question 12

What are some factors that influence social loafing?

Answer 12

greater anonymity: ↑ loafing

valuing/involvement in task: ↓ loafing

believing one can help achieve desired outcome: ↓ loafing

intergroup comparison (vs. outgroup): ↓ loafing

anticipated loafing of others (compensation): ↓ loafing

Question 13

What is deindividuation?

Answer 13

A loss of a person’s sense of individuality and the reduction of normal constraints against deviant behaviour.

Question 14

What is brainstorming?

Answer 14

A technique that attempts to increase production of creative ideas by encouraging group members to speak freely without criticising their own or others’ contributions.

Question 15

Why does brainstorming not often work?

Answer 15

evaluation apprehension

social loafing/free-riding

production blocking (interference effects)

performance matching (basing our efforts on matching to others’ inferior performance)

Question 16

What is Groupthink?

Answer 16

Group decision-making style characterised by an excessive tendency among group members to seek concurrence.

Question 17

How do we prevent groupthink?

Answer 17

wide consultation with outsiders

encouragement of criticism

use of sub-groups to discuss issues

follow-up meetings to review major decisions

Question 18

What is group polarisation?

Answer 18

The tendency for groups to show a shift towards the extremes of decision-making when compared to decisions made by individuals.

Question 19

Why does Group polarisation happen?

Answer 19

persuasive arguments: exposed to a greater number and more persuasive arguments

social comparison: need for social approval (shift to more extreme views)

self-categorisation theory: a way in which an ingroup can distinguish themselves from outgroups

Question 20

What is a social dilemma?

Answer 20

A situation in which a self-interested choice by everyone will create the worst outcome for everyone.

Question 21

What is the Prisoner’s dilemma?

Answer 21

Each of 2 criminals is offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for a confession.

If both stay silent both get off with a light sentence. If both confess, both recieve a moderate sentence. If one confesses while the other doesn’t, the confessing criminal goes free while the silent one has recieves a long sentence.

Question 22

What is the tragedy of the commons?

Answer 22

A situation in which individuals with access to a public resource (also called a common) act in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resource.

Question 23

How does the race of the accused influence a jury?

Answer 23

racial composition of juries can have an effect (e.g., White jurors in more diverse juries convict minority race defendants less)

for weak evidence, more lenient to own race defendants but for strong evidence, harsher

when race a prominent part of case, greater processing of evidence may lead to less racial bias