PSYC221 GroupThink Study Guide

Groups

Two or more people who interact or join together by common fate.

Interdependence

The extent to which group members are dependent upon a goal.

Collective

Two or more people engaged in a common activity with little direct interaction with one another.

Tripplett (1898)

• Faster timers were recorded when cyclists competed directly against each other compared to when they raced solo against the clock. 

• Fishing reel study: when kids performed faster when they turned a fishing reel in a group compared to doing it alone.

Social facilitation theory

The improvement in performance when individuals perform in the presence of others compared to doing it alone.

• Cockroach Study (Zajonc et al. 1969)

• Cockroaches run a easy maze/complex maze, where each had a section with more spectators and NO spectators of roaches, they studied how fast the cockroaches ran.

  • Easy maze: roaches ran a simple maze faster in the presence of others than alone

  • Complex maze: Roaches run a complex maze more slowly in the presence of others than alone.

Physiological arousal

The presence of others triggering an arousal response, increasing heart rate, adrenaline, etc.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The optimal level of arousal for increasing performance, with moderate arousal being the most optimal.

• If low arousal on a task, weak performance

• Moderate arousal is the most optimal level for increasing performance.

• Too high arousal, performance would drop bc of strong anxiety

Sense of arousal causes

Presence of others, evaluation apprehension, distraction conflict

Evaluation apprehension

The fear of being evaluated or tested, which can affect group brainstorming.

Sasfy & Okun, 1974

Students perform a difficult motor task, w a non expert audience and an excerpt audience w an evaluation/no evaluation, to see the performance on the task, 

Social loafing

Reduction in motivation and effort when individuals work collectively compared to when they work individually.

• Contribute less because other people are available to the the work

• Believed that individual performance cannot be evaluated.

Ringelmann effect

The tendency for individual members of a group to become less productive as the size of their group increases.

Decrease social loafing

• 1. Individualism

• 2. Identification

• 3. Rewards

• 4. Challenge

Difference between social facilitation and loafing

• When individual performance is evaluated: we tend to feel higher arousal and social facilitation occurs

• When individual performance is not evaluated: we tend to relax and social loafing occurs

Group polarization

The tendency for the decisions and attitudes of a group to be more extreme than those of individuals.

Normative social influence

Compare our own attitudes to the res of the group (Social comparison theory)

Groupthink

Consensus within the group is encouraged, leading to faulty decision-making and the minimization of conflict.

Informational social influence

when a group gets together there's and initial preferred opinion

Political Polarization

The division of political beliefs into extreme opposing sides, leading to increased hostility and decreased cooperation between different groups.

Deindividuation

Engaging in uncharacteristic behavior when in a large group and feeling a reduced sense of individual identity.

Individuation

Focusing attention on the self and being more self-aware.

How to avoid groupthink

Promote diverse perspectives, designate a devil's advocate, seek external opinions, establish and encourage open communication.