Group Processes

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core questions and key psychological concepts of group dynamics, performance effects, and leadership styles from the Group Processes lecture.

The Escalation Trap

A psychological sequence observed in hazing and abusive group commitments consisting of five distinct stages: Maltreatment, Uncertainty, Vulnerability, Dependency, and Gratitude.

Stockholm Syndrome

A psychological phenomenon in which hostages or abuse victims develop feelings of trust, affection, or emotional bonding toward their captors or abusers over time.

Cyberball

A computerized virtual ball-tossing research paradigm designed to experimentally manipulate and observe the psychological consequences of social inclusion versus social exclusion.

Rejection Sensitivity Scale

A measurement tool assessing how anxious or concerned an individual feels about potential interpersonal rejection across diverse social scenarios on a scale from $1$ (Very unconcerned) to $6$ (Very concerned).

Optimal Distinctiveness Theory

A social identity theory proposing that individuals strive to maintain a balance between two competing fundamental needs: the desire for belonging and inclusion within a group, and the desire for individuality and distinctiveness.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to reduce their effort and contribute less when working collectively as part of a group compared to when working alone.

Social Loafing Tendency Questionnaire

A self-report assessment measuring an individual's inclination to slack off within a team on a scale from $1$ (Strongly Disagree) to $5$ (Strongly Agree), featuring reverse scoring for items $1$, $2$, $4$, and $7$ ($1 = 5$, $2 = 4$, $3 = 3$, $4 = 2$, $5 = 1$).

Social Facilitation

The impact of the presence of observers or co-actors on individual performance, demonstrated in experiments where an audience improves performance on simple runway tasks but impairs performance on complex maze tasks.

Mere Presence Hypothesis

The proposition that the simple presence of others triggers physiological arousal, which strengthens the dominant response, leading to better and faster performance on simple or well-practiced tasks, but worse and slower performance on complex or novel tasks.

Dominant Response

The most readily accessible, habitual, or natural behavioral reaction to a stimulus, which is amplified by physiological arousal when in the presence of others.

Task Leader

A leadership style focused predominantly on establishing goals, delegating duties, coordinating activities, and ensuring group assignments are successfully completed.

Social Leader

A leadership style dedicated to cultivating team harmony, mediating disputes, offering emotional support, and fostering high morale and cohesion among members.

Transactional Leader

A leadership style centered on structured oversight, maintaining organization, and utilizing a clear framework of rewards and corrective actions to motivate compliance.

Transformational Leader

A leadership style focused on motivating and intellectually stimulating group members to look beyond immediate personal self-interest and work toward a shared, inspiring vision.

Groupthink

The tendency for people in groups to minimize conflict by publicly agreeing with each other, despite their secret, private doubts because of social rejection.

Group polarization

When a group makes more extreme decisions average of individuals decisions.