ch, 8 groups and collectives

group

a set of individuals who have at least joint membership, direct intentions, or a shared common fate, identity, or goal

collective

an assembly of people engaging in a common activity but having little direct interaction with each other

why join a group

evolutionary purpose, help accomplish tasks, social status, we like them, need for affiliation

roles

set of behaviors that individuals occupying specific positions within groups are expected to perform

norms

rules within a group indicating how its members should or shouldn’t behave

cohesiveness

factors that push group members together

social facilitation

the process where the presence of others helps performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks

mere presence theory

the presence of others causes arousal which creates performance effects

apprehension theory

arousal occurs because the performer perceives that people are evaluating them

distraction conflict theory

other people are arousing because they are a distraction

social loafing

on pooled tasks people tend to produce less in the presence of others

collective effort model

individuals try hard on a collective task when they think their efforts will help them achieve outcomes they personally value

deindividuation

loss of a persons sense of individuality and the reduction of normal constraints on deviant behavior

group polarization

The exaggeration through group discussion of the initial tendencies in the thinking of group members

group think

excessive tendency to seek agreement among group members