3. Plan of Action on Group Influence

• Topics to Include:

  • Social Facilitation

  • Social Loafing

  • Deindividuation

  • Groupthink

  • Group Polarization

4. What is a Group?

• Definition: Two or more people who interact, influence one another, and perceive themselves as "us."

  • Examples include:

    • Two jogging partners

    • Doctor and patient

    • People waiting at a bus stop

5. Social Facilitation

• Historical Context:

  • Triplett's study (1889) on cyclists competing.

  • Original Definition: Performance improves on easy tasks when others are present.

5.1 Arousal and Performance

• New Definition: Strengthening of dominant responses in the presence of others.

  • Easy tasks: Performance benefits from presence.

  • Difficult tasks: Performance may suffer from presence.

5.2 Factors Influencing Arousal

• Presence leads to arousal through:

  • Evaluation Apprehension: Concern about being judged.

  • Distraction: Presence can split attention.

  • Mere Presence: Even without evaluation, presence can affect behavior.

6. Social Loafing

• Definition: Individuals exert less effort in group work compared to individual tasks.

6.1 Key Findings

• Studies show that people make less effort when they think they are in a group (Ingham et al., 1974).

• Ways to reduce social loafing:

  • Make contributions identifiable.

  • Ensure tasks are appealing or engaging.

7. Deindividuation

• Definition: Loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension in group situations.

• Leads to behaviors influenced by group norms, whether positive or negative.

7.1 Halloween Study

• Factors that elicit deindividuation include:

  • Group Size: Larger groups increase deindividuation.

  • Anonymity: Children in groups take more candy when unidentifiable.

8. Group Decision Making

• Question: Are groups more effective? It can vary.

• Historical Examples of Poor Group Decisions:

  • Bay of Pigs Invasion

  • Pearl Harbor

  • Challenger Space Shuttle

8.1 Groupthink

• Definition: Faulty thinking in cohesive groups; suppressing dissent for consensus.

• Characteristics of susceptible groups:

  • Highly cohesive

  • Homogeneous and isolated

  • Charismatic leadership

8.2 Reducing groupthink

• Strategies include:

  • Impartial facilitation

  • Assigning a 'devil’s advocate'

  • Soliciting opinions from outside experts.

9. Group Polarization

• Definition: Enhancement of members’ pre-existing tendencies through group discussions.

  • Example: Strengthening viewpoints on smoking (e.g., "Smoking should be banned!").

• Influences:

  • Normative and informational pressures lead to extremes.

9.1 Real-world examples of group polarization

• Occurs in communities, schools, and online interactions.