Ch 8- Group Processes (Social Psyche)

Group

When two or more individuals interact with one another or are joined together by a common fate.

Group Cohesiveness

The degree to which members of a group feel connected to one another.

Functional Distance

The tendency for people in close proximity to develop cohesive groups such as friendships or romantic relationships.

Sense of Individual Identity

How individuals perceive themselves in relation to a larger group, contributing to their self-concept.

Effort Justification/Initiation Effect

The tendency to convince ourselves that a group is wonderful after going through embarrassing or difficult efforts to join it.

Maltreatment Effects

The social dependency that arises from hazing, promoting allegiance to the group.

Stockholm Syndrome

When hostages develop affection for their captors.

Rejection Sensitivity

The fear of social rejection and ostracism.

Optimal Distinctiveness Theory

The idea that individuals can achieve both uniqueness and group belonging by being members of a small, elite group.

Social Facilitation

When individuals exhibit improved performance in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

When people working in a group reduce their individual level of effort.

Diffusion of Responsibility

When an individual feels less responsible for an outcome due to the presence of others.

Group Dynamics

The social roles, hierarchies, communication styles, and culture that form when groups interact.

Contingency Theory of Leadership

The idea that different situations require different leadership styles.

Task Leader

A leader who focuses on completing assignments and achieving goals.

Transformational Leader

A type of leader who uses inspiration and cohesiveness to motivate members.

Risky Shift

The tendency of groups to make riskier decisions than individuals.

Group Polarization

When a group makes more extreme decisions than the average of individual decisions.

Groupthink

The tendency for people in groups to minimize conflict by thinking alike.

Spiral of Silence

When fear of rejection causes people to remain silent about their private opinions.

Pluralistic Ignorance

When individuals believe others do not share their private perspective.

Wisdom of Crowds

Using the collective insights of many people to develop new ideas and solutions.

Brainstorming

A group approach to problem solving emphasizing creative thinking without judgment.

advantages of groups

1. social support

2. sense of identity

3. safety

4. meaningful info

Effort justification/sunk cost fallacy

tendency for individuals to convince themselves that a group they belong to is wonderful if they have gone through embarrassing, difficult, or expensive efforts to gain membership in the group

Comparative social psychology

Species-level comparisons of social behavior usually used to determine the uniqueness of human behavior

Mere presence hypothesis

idea that being in the presence of others, even if they aren’t watching, will increase an individual’s physiological arousal, and this arousal will help performance on easy tasks and hinder performance on difficult tasks

Free riders

People who gain more benefits from the group than they contribute to the group; social loafers

Conscientiousness

personality trait that includes striving for achievement, attention to detail, and a sense of responsibility; people high in this trait are also less likely to be social loafers

Agreeableness

personality trait that includes the willingness to be flexible, to cooperate, and to try to please other people; people high in this trait are also less likely to be social loafer

Protestant work ethic

set of personality traits that includes valuing discipline, honoring commitments, and doing a good job in any setting; people high in this trait are also less likely to be social loafers

Process loss

reduction of effort—and thus productivity—in group settings that comes from a lack of motivation, often due to social loafing

Coordination loss

When a lack of cooperation and communication weakens a group’s effectiveness, leading to a loss of productivity

Social leader

type of leader who focuses on the people involved and invests time in building teamwork, facilitating interactions, and providing support

Transactional leader

type of leader who uses rewards and punishments to motivate group members; these leaders help to maintain the status quo

Transformational leader

ype of leader who uses inspiration and group cohesiveness to motivate group members; these leaders are useful for challenging established rules or procedure, ex: MLK