Social Behaviour- The Influence of Groups

In regard to this topic, what is the definition of a group?

a collection of people with shared features or attributes

What is an in group?

a social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty

What is an out group?

a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition

What is social facilitation:

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

What is social inhibition?

a decrease in performance when in the presence of others, usually for complex tasks

Describe an experiment that demonstrated both social facilitation and social inhibition:

candidates were instructed to type their name quickly and did this faster when observed. However, when the task difficulty was increased (typing name backwards with ascending numbers), candidates were faster when not observed

Describe motivational loss in relation to the rope pulling experiment:

individuals in groups worked less than their individual potential due to social loafing

Give three reasons why we social loaf?

1) unclear/ different standards

2) output equity (if others loaf, then why should I work?)

3) evaluation apprehension (hiding in a group)

Describe coordination loss in relation to the rope pulling experiment:

individuals in pseudogroups (groups where others pretended to pull) saw individuals work hard than in real groups due to a lack of coordination in pulling

Give 3 ways organisations try to combat social loafing?

1) making individual contributions identifiable

2) keep group sizes at an appropriate level

3) emphasize individual contributions

What is group polarization?

the enhancement of a group's prevailing/ average inclinations through discussion within the group

What is risky shift?

the tendency for groups to make riskier decisions than individuals would

Why does group discussions often strengthen the average inclination of individuals? (3)

1) novel/ persuasive arguments

2) social comparison and social desirability

3) discussion produces a commitment

What is pro-social behavior?

any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person

What is the social responsibility norm?

an expectation that people will help those needing their help

What is the reciprocity norm?

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

What is a norm?

shared belief about appropriate conduct

What is conformity?

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Why do we conform?

to avoid ridicule and social disapproval

What is deindividuation?

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity