Chapter 8: Group Processes

Social Loafing

A group- produced reduction in individual output on easy tasks where contributions are pooled, explained by diffusion of responsibility; Solution- Hold people responsible for their individual effort to the common goal- videotape or somehow assess each persons performance and effort.

What Is A Collective

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

Why Do We Join Groups

(a) belong (b) accomplish tasks that cannot be accomplished as individuals (c) gain social status and identity (d) Affection

Roles

are a set of expected behaviours, can be formal or informal, could be instrumental (i.e., to help achieve a task) or expressive (i.e., to provide emotional support and maintain morale)

Norms

are rules of conduct for members, can be formal or informal

Cohesiveness

refers to the forces exerted on a group that push its members closer together, such as (a) Commitment to the group task (b) Attraction to group members (c) Group pride (d) Number and intensity of interactions

Social Facilitation

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

Social Interference

a weakening of or disruption in performance of non-dominant responses owing to the presence of others

Social loafing is less likely to occur when

(a) People believe that their own performances can be identified and thus evaluated by others (b) When a task is important, challenging, appealing, or involving (c) People believe that their own efforts are necessary for a successful outcome, e.g., when people see other group members as unreliable (d) The group expects to be punished for poor performance (e) The group is small (f) The group is cohesive, e.g., when group members are friends, not strangers

Deindividuation

When you are "deindividuated," normal constraints on your behaviour are temporarily lifted, leading you to engage in behaviour that you otherwise would not

Groupthink

a group decision-making style characterized by an excessive tendency among group members to seek concurrence, emerges when the need for agreement takes priority over the motivation to obtain accurate information and make appropriate decisions

Three characteristics contribute to the development of groupthink

(a) Highly cohesive groups (b) Group structure, Homogeneous members, Isolation, Directive leadership, Unsystematic procedures (c) Stressful situations

Resource Dilemmas

(a) Commons dilemma ("take-some" dilemma) Situation, in which, if people take as much as they want of a limited resource, nothing will be left for anyone e.g., deforestation (b) Public goods dilemma ("leave-some" dilemma) Situation, in which, all of the individuals are supposed to contribute resources to a common pool e.g., blood supply

Preventing Groupthink

(a) Be impartial do not endorse any position (b) Encourage critical thinking – assign a “devil’s advocate” (c) Occasionally subdivide the group and then re-convene to air differences (d) Welcome critiques from outside people (e) Before implementing, call a “2nd chance” meeting to air any lingering doubts

Symptoms of Groupthink:

(a) Illusion of invulnerability that nothing terribly bad can happen as a result of the group’s (good) decision (b) Unquestioned belief in the group’s morality – ignoring alternate ethical and moral issues (c**) Rationalization of the group’s decisions** – promoting a strong closed-mindedness (d) Conformity pressure – rebuff those who raise doubts (e) Mindguards – when group members purposely withhold information that might conflict with the group’s decisions (f**) Self-censorship** – “OK, let’s move on to the next point.” (g) Illusion of unanimity – “We’re all agreed? Right? I said RIIIIIIGHT?”

Three characteristics contribute to the development of groupthink:

(a) Highly cohesive groups (b) Group structure, Homogeneous members, Isolation, Directive leadership, Unsystematic procedures (c) Stressful situations

Five Factors Leading to Deindividuation

(a) Loss of identifiability – e.g., standing in a crowd of strangers (b) Loss of responsibility – e.g., if many people are engaging in a behaviour, such as violence, each person’s share of the blame is diminished (c) Presence of group physical activity that in itself is arousing and sustaining – e.g., a rock concert (d) Limited temporal perspective, e.g., on vacation (e) A novel or unstructured situation – e.g., a house party of person you do not know

Two Types of Environmental Cues

(a) Accountability cues – affect one’s cost-reward calculations e.g., engaging in antisocial behaviour when you know you won’t get caught (b) Attentional cues – when self-awareness declines, a change in consciousness takes place e.g., attend less to internal standards of conduct

How do groups affect individuals?

A number of ways through social facilitation, social interference, and social loafing

What Is A Group

A set of individuals who have at least one of the following characteristics - (a) Direct interactions with each other over a period of time (b) Joint membership in a social category based on sex, racialized group, or other attributes (c) A shared common fate, identity, or set of goals