8. Group Behavior

Group

Two or more people linked by interaction, shared identity, or common goals and fate.

Interdependence

Group members' actions or outcomes depend on one another.

Need to belong

Fundamental motivation to form and maintain meaningful relationships.

Social brain hypothesis

Human brains evolved partly to handle complex group living.

Group role

Shared expectation about how a particular member should behave.

Instrumental role

A role focused on accomplishing group tasks.

Expressive role

A role focused on emotional support and group morale.

Role ambiguity

Uncertainty about expected responsibilities in a group.

Group norm

A formal or informal rule governing acceptable group behavior.

Implicit norm

An unspoken group expectation.

Explicit norm

A clearly stated group rule.

Norm deviance

Behavior that violates group expectations.

Group homogeneity

Perception that group members are similar.

Group heterogeneity

Perception that group members differ.

Norm-deviance tolerance

Acceptance of members who violate group norms; often higher in heterogeneous groups.

Group cohesiveness

Forces that bind members together and foster commitment and mutual liking.

Social facilitation

Presence of others can improve easy tasks and impair difficult tasks.

Social inhibition

Performance impairment in the presence of others, especially on difficult tasks.

Dominant response

The easiest or most automatic reaction to a task or stimulus.

Zajonc's mere presence theory

Others' presence increases arousal, strengthening the dominant response.

Easy task in front of others

Arousal strengthens the usually correct dominant response, improving performance.

Difficult task in front of others

Arousal strengthens the usually incorrect dominant response, impairing performance.

Evaluation apprehension theory

Performance changes because people worry about being judged by others.

Mere presence vs evaluation apprehension

Mere presence needs others nearby; evaluation apprehension involves concern about evaluation.

Yerkes-Dodson law

Performance typically peaks at moderate arousal and drops at excessive arousal.

Social loafing

Reduced individual effort when contributions to group work are pooled or unidentifiable.

Individual accountability

Making each member's contribution identifiable, reducing social loafing.

Diffusion of responsibility

Feeling less personally responsible when responsibility is shared.

Group productivity

Group output shaped by members' skills, coordination, and motivation.

Process loss

Reduced group output due to coordination or motivation problems.

Groupthink

Faulty decision making when pressure for agreement suppresses critical scrutiny.

Groupthink: cohesiveness

Strong unity can create pressure not to disagree.

Groupthink: directive leadership

A leader's stated preference discourages alternative opinions.

Self-censorship

Withholding doubts to avoid challenging group agreement.

Illusion of unanimity

Mistaking silence for universal agreement.

Mindguards

Members who shield a group from challenging information.

Preventing groupthink

Invite disagreement, seek outside input, use devil's advocates, and have leaders speak last.

Devil's advocate

Person assigned to challenge assumptions and proposed decisions.

Group polarization

Discussion shifts group members toward more extreme versions of their initial leanings.

Persuasive arguments explanation

Discussion supplies additional arguments favoring the group's initial position.

Social comparison explanation

Members move toward group norms or slightly beyond them to fit in.

Groupthink vs group polarization

Groupthink undermines scrutiny; polarization intensifies initial attitudes.

Abilene paradox

Group members collectively choose something none privately wants because each misreads others' preferences.

Shared information

Facts already known to most or all group members.

Unshared information

Relevant facts known to only one or a few group members.

Biased sampling / shared information bias

Groups discuss shared information more than unique information.

Hidden profile problem

A group misses the best option because crucial information is distributed across members.

Brainstorming

Generating ideas without immediate criticism or evaluation.

Production blocking

Losing ideas or opportunities while waiting to speak.

Free riding

Benefiting from group work while contributing little.

Evaluation apprehension in brainstorming

Withholding ideas because of fear of negative judgment.

Performance matching

Adjusting effort to match other group members' output.

Improving brainstorming

Generate ideas alone first, then share; use accountability, facilitation, or electronic methods.

Power

Capacity to influence others or control outcomes.

Social hierarchy

Ranking group members by relative power or status.

Path of virtue to power

Gaining influence by helping the group and showing competence or generosity.

Path of vice to power

Gaining influence through manipulation, intimidation, or self-serving tactics.

Narcissism

Excessive self-focus, entitlement, and desire for admiration.

Machiavellianism

Strategic manipulation of others for personal advantage.

Approach/inhibition theory of power

High power encourages approach and disinhibition; low power encourages caution.

Disinhibition

Reduced restraint over impulses or behavior.

Deindividuation

Reduced individual identity and self-regulation in anonymous group contexts.

Anonymity

Being difficult to identify, potentially weakening accountability.

Individuation

Heightened personal identity and attention to one's standards.

Self-awareness theory

Focusing on oneself increases attention to personal standards and self-evaluation.

Spotlight effect

Overestimating how much others notice one's appearance or actions.