D. 4.1 Presence of Others, Social Loafing, Groupthink, Mental Models, Group Roles, Group Homogeneity, Roles, & Teams

Social Facilitation

Involves the positive effect of the presence of others on an individual’s behavior

Social Inhibition

Involves the negative effects of others’ presence

Audience Effect

Takes place when a group of people passively watches an individual

Coaction

The effect on behavior when two or more people are performing the same task in the presence of one another

Mere Presence

The most basic level of social influence, suggesting that the simple, passive physical presence of other people is sufficient to elicit a change in an individual’s performance

Comparison

The idea that the presence of others can influence our performance because we compare ourselves to them

Evaluation Apprehension

The presence of others is influential because we apprehend or anticipate that they are evaluating us

Distracting

Suggests that the presence of others can affect performance because they draw our attention away from the primary task

Social Loafing

Occurs when a person exerts less effort on a group task than an individual task

Social Enhancement

Occurs when group members are working on a task that is high in attractiveness, leading them to increase their effort

Free-Rider Theory

Individuals may reduce their effort when working in a group because they believe their individual contribution is unnecessary for the group’s success, and they can still benefit from the group’s collective output without putting in their full effort

Sucker Effect

A motivational loss that occurs when individuals reduce their effort in response to perceiving that others in the group are free-riding or not contributing their fair share

Social Compensation

Motivational gain in groups, where an individual increases their effort when working in a group to compensate for the anticipated or perceived poor performance of other group members

Groupthink

When members become so cohesive and like-minded that they make poor decisions despite contrary information

Illusion of Invulnerability

When groups develops excessive optimism and belief in their inherent rightness and good fortune, which encourages them to take extreme risks and ignore clear warnings of danger

Illusion of Morality – When members unquestioningly believe in the inherent morality of their group and its actions, leading them to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions

Shared Negative Stereotypes

When groups construct negative, simplistic, and often dehumanizing stereotypes of rivals or critics outside the group. This allows them to dismiss external warnings or alternative viewpoints without careful consideration

Collective Rationalizations

When the group collectively invents arguments and explanations to justify their decisions and courses of action, dismissing or ignoring any other information that might challenge their shared assumptions

Self-censorship

When individuals within the group suppress their own dissenting thoughts, doubts, or counterarguments

Illusion of Unanimity

When group members falsely believe that there is unanimous agreement on a decision. Silence or lack of strong objection is interpreted as consent

Direct Conformity Pressure

When the group directly exerts pressure on any individual who expresses doubts or argues against the group’s consensus

Mindguards

Members that actively protect the group from information that might contradict the group’s shared beliefs or challenge their consensus. They might filter information, discourage critical thinking, or keep dissenting information from reaching the group

Additive Tasks, Conjunctive Tasks, & Disjunctive Tasks

Types of Group Tasks

Additive Tasks

Group’s output is the sum of each member’s contributions

Conjunctive Tasks

Tasks determined by the weakest or least capable member

Disjunctive Tasks

Tasks determined by its best or most capable member

Social Impact Theory

Provides a framework for understanding how the presence and actions of others influence an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior

Task-Oriented Roles

Roles that involve behaviors such as offering new ideas, coordinating activities, and finding new information

Social-Oriented Roles

Roles that involve encouraging cohesiveness and participation

Individual Roles

Roles that include blocking group, calling attention to oneself, and avoiding group interaction

Cooperating, Coordinating, Communicating, Comforting, & Conflict Handling

5 C's of Effective Team Members

Cooperating

Willing and able to work together rather than alone

Coordinating

Actively manage the team’s work so that it is performed efficiently and harmoniously

Communicating

Transmit information freely, efficiently, and respectfully

Comforting

Help co-workers to maintain a positive and healthy psychological state

Conflict Handling

Skills and motivation to resolve dysfunctional disagreements among team members

Roles

A set of behaviors that people are expected to perform because they hold certain positions in a team and organization

Role Concept

Used to describe how people perceive the various situational forces acting on them

Role Differentiation

The process by which a group or organization establishes distinct roles for various members of the group or organization

Conflict

The psychological and behavioral reaction to a perception that another person is keeping you from reaching a goal, taking away your right to behave in a particular way, or violating the expectancies of a relationship

Team Building

Consists of formal activities to improve the development and functioning of a work team

Norm

Shared expectations about appropriate ways of responding in a group

Descriptive Norms

Define what most people tend to do, feel, or think in a particular situation

Prescriptive Norms

Suggest what people should do, feel, or think in a particular situation

Team Cohesion

The degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members

Similarity-Attraction Effect

Occurs when people assume people are more trustworthy and more acceptable if they are similar to them

Team Trust

Positive expectations one person has toward another person in situations involving risk

Calculus-Based Trust

Logical calculation that other team members will act appropriately because they face sanctions in their actions violate reasonable expectation

Knowledge-Based Trust

Based on the predictability of another team member’s behavior

Identification-Based Trust

Mutual understanding and an emotional bond among team members