PSYC221 GroupThink Study Guide

Groups: when two or more people interact or joined together by common fate

• Interdependence: the extent to which group members are dependent upon goal

Collective: Two or more people together engaged in a common activity

• Little direct interaction with one another

Tripplett (1898)

• Faster timers were recorded when cyclists competed directly against each other compared to when they raced solo against the clock. 

• Fishing reel study: when kids performed faster when they turned a fishing reel in a group compared to doing it alone.

Social facilitation theory: there is improvement in their performance,  when individuals perform in the presence of others compared to doing it alone

Cockroach Study (Zajonc et al. 1969): Cockroaches run a easy maze/complex maze, where each had a section with more spectators and NO spectators of roaches, they studied how fast the cockroaches ran.

• Eazy maze: roaches ran a simple maze faster in the presence of others than alone

• Complex maze: Roaches run a complex maze more slowly in the presence of others than alone.

Physiological arousal: the presence of others can trigger an arousal response increasing heart rate, adrenaline, etc.

Yerkes-Dodson Law: Understand the optimal level of different types of arousal

• If low arousal on a task, weak performance

• Moderate arousal is the most optimal level for increasing performance.

• Too high arousal, performance would drop bc of strong anxiety

Sense of arousal causes: Presence of others, evaluation apprehension, distraction conflict

Evaluation apprehension: the fear or being evaluated or tested, is a serious issue for group brainstorming 

• Sasfy & Okun, 1974: Students perform a difficult motor task, w a non expert audience and an excerpt audience w an evaluation/no evaluation, to see the performance on the task, 

Social Loafing: Reduction in motivation and effort when individuals work collectively compared to when they work individually

• Contribute less because other people are available to the the work

• Believed that individual performance cannot be evaluated.

Ringelmann effect: Tendency for individual members of a group to become less productive as the size of their group increases

Decrease social loafing:

• 1. Individualism

• 2. Identification

• 3. Rewards

• 4. Challenge

Difference between social facilitation and loafing

• When individual performance is evaluated: we tend to feel higher arousal and social facilitation occurs

• When individual performance is not evaluated: we tend to relax and social loafing occurs

Group Polarization: Tendency for the decisions and attitudes of a group to be more extreme than those of individuals.

Normative social influence: Compare our own attitudes to the res of the group (Social comparison theory)

• Take a slightly more extreme position in order to gain acceptance and favorability

Informational social influence: when a group gets together there's and initial preferred opinion

• Group discussions leads to more exposure to persuasive arguments in favor of the preferred question.

Groupthink: consensus within the group is encourages and thus alternatives are not considered

• Leads to faulty decision-making

• Minimize conflict by thinking alike and publicity agreeing with each other

  • Seen in high group cohesiveness, isolation, strong and directive leadership, stressful situations to resolve

Symptoms of groupthink:

• Illusion of invulnerability: ignoring danger, taking extreme risks, excessive optimism

• Direct pressure on dissenters to agree/conform

• Illusion of unanimity: silene is interpreted as agreement

• Self-censorship of dissenters

• Stereotypes of outgroups as weak

• Collective rationalization: discrediting and explaining away warnings of concern

• Belief in own groups moral rightness

• Self-appointed “min-gaurds” that protect the group from adverse information

How to avoid groupthink: promote diverse perspectives, designated a devil's advocate, seek external opinions, establish and encourage open communication

Groupthink and the Bay of Pigs Invasion: 14000 cuban exiles were killed/captured when they tried to invade cuba backed by the CIA. → failure

Deindividuation: People may engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are in a large group and feel a reduced sense of individual identity 

• Indulge in forms of behavior in which, when alone, they would not indulge

Individuation: Focusing attention on the self and being more self-aware.

Diener et al. study:  Students were less likely to cheat if they were seated in the front of a mirror.