Social Psychology: Group Processes

What Is A Group?

• Definition: A group consists of two or more individuals who self-identify as part of a unit, influence one another, and are interdependent.
• Groupiness: A term used by psychologists to describe how much a collection of individuals resembles a true group, as not all collections clearly fit the definition.

Four Key Components of a Group

• Minimum Size: At least two members are required to form a group.
• Perception of Membership: Individuals must recognize themselves as members; if not, they do not constitute a group.
• Mutual Influence: Group members influence each other through some form of interaction.
• Interdependence: Members share a common goal, necessitating collaboration.

Why We Join Groups

• Affiliation Needs: Groups help satisfy our need for belonging and social connection.
• Task Accomplishment: Groups enable us to achieve tasks beyond individual capability.
• Efficiency: Groups can help meet goals more effectively than individuals working alone.
• Protection: Groups provide a sense of security for members and their families.
• Resource Acquisition: Groups can offer access to resources and information that would otherwise be unattainable.

Goals for Joining Groups

• Essential for Evolution: Group life is vital for human evolution; social selection has favored traits conducive to social living.
• Adaptive Advantages: Our sociality fosters survival and personal development, ensuring that humans thrive in groups.

Key Features of Groups

• Types of Groups:

  • Common-Identity Groups: Based on shared characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, nationality).
  • Common-Bond Groups: Formed through personal connections and interactions (e.g., teams, committees).

• Cohesiveness: The strength of member bonds that promote group unity, leading to greater success through enhanced cooperation.

• Entitativity: The perceived quality of a group by outsiders; groups with similar members and shared goals possess high entitativity.

• Social Norms: Unwritten rules guiding behaviors within the group that influence attitudes and actions. Ex: Facebook norms.

• Roles: Defined responsibilities that direct or restrict member behavior for enhanced productivity; ambiguity can reduce performance.

Social Facilitation

• Definition: The phenomenon where the presence of others enhances or diminishes performance based on whether the dominant response is appropriate for the task.
• Evaluation Apprehension: Worrying about others' judgments may influence performance.
• Distraction-Conflict Theory: Competing stimuli can distract from the primary task, affecting ability to focus.

Social Loafing

• Definition: The tendency to exert less effort when working in a group compared to individual work.
• Free Riding: Individuals feel their contribution is expendable, leading to lesser effort.
• Solutions:
  • Make individual contributions measurable.
  • Increase accountability and motivation through the group's work importance.
  • Keep groups small to minimize free riding.

Deindividuation

• Definition: A state where individuals lose self-awareness and personal responsibility, often occurring in anonymous contexts.
• Consequences: May lead to a decrease in adherence to social norms.
• Social Identity Model: Indicates that immersion in groups can enhance social conformity, whether positive or negative.

ODDI Model (Orientation-Discussion-Decision-Implementation)

1. Orientation: Identifying the problem, defining goals, and planning.
2. Discussion: Sharing and debating gathered information.
3. Decision: Choosing from various decision-making methods.
4. Implementation: Executing the decision and evaluating its effectiveness.

Groupthink

• Definition: Flawed decision-making arising in cohesive groups that prioritize agreement over critical analysis.
• Symptoms: Illusions of invulnerability, close-mindedness, and pressures toward uniformity.
• Prevention: Encourage dissent and allow sufficient time for deliberation.

Group Polarization

• Definition: The tendency for group discussion to enhance the initial tendencies in members' opinions (can lead to riskier or more conservative decisions).
• Explanations:
  • Persuasive Arguments: Majority views become amplified through discussion.
  • Social Comparison: Members change their opinions to fit in with the group.

Minority Influence

• Definition: A minority can change the attitudes of a majority through dissent.
• Conditions for Success: Being consistent, confident, and providing strong arguments enhances impact.

Leadership

• Definition: The process of influencing others to achieve common goals distinct from power, which relies on coercion.
• Types:
  • Task-Oriented: Focus on project efficiency.
  • Relations-Oriented: Focus on interpersonal relationships.
• Leadership Styles:
  • Transactional: Motivates by offering rewards.
  • Transformational: Inspires followers through a compelling vision.

Gender & Leadership

• No significant overall differences in competence between genders; however, men may excel in task-oriented situations, while women thrive in relations-oriented roles, despite biases affecting perceptions of female leaders.