Foundations of Group Behavior

Overview

  1. Types of Groups

  2. Group Formation

  3. Group Properties

    • Roles

    • Norms

    • Status

    • Types of Groups

    • Group Formation

    • Group Properties

      • Roles

      • Norms

      • Status

      • Size

      • Cohesiveness

      • Diversity

    • Experiments

      • Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) by Philip Zimbardo: Investigated the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers.

      • Hawthorne Studies (1920s) by Elton Mayo: Explored how social relations affect productivity, introducing the Hawthorne Effect.

      • Rope-Pulling Experiment (1913) by Max Ringelmann: Studied social loafing, demonstrating that individual effort decreases as group size increases.Size

    • Cohesiveness

    • Diversity

  4. Experiments

    • Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) by Philip Zimbardo: Investigated the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers.

    • Hawthorne Studies (1920s) by Elton Mayo: Explored how social relations affect productivity, introducing the Hawthorne Effect.

    • Rope-Pulling Experiment (1913) by Max Ringelmann: Studied social loafing, demonstrating that individual effort decreases as group size increases.

Types of Groups

  • Formal Groups: Defined by the organization’s structure.

  • Informal Groups: Alliances that are not officially structured or determined.

Group Formation

  • Similarity: People with similar values identify with each other.

  • Distinctiveness: People notice identities that are different from theirs.

  • Status: Individuals link themselves to high-status groups.

  • Uncertainty Reduction: Understanding one's fit in the world.

Group Properties

  • Roles: Expected behavior patterns for positions in a social unit. - Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) by Philip Zimbardo.

  • Norms: Acceptable behavior standards shared within a group. - Hawthorne Studies (1920s) by Elton Mayo; Hawthorne Effect: reactions to attention increase.

  • Status: Socially defined position/rank of group members. - Example: Starbucks’ Barista Championship.

  • Size: - Smaller groups: faster task completion.

    • Larger groups: better problem-solving.

    • Rope-Pulling Experiment (1913) by Max Ringelmann; Ringelmann Effect: social loafing increases with group size.

  • Cohesiveness: Attraction and motivation to stay in the group.- Relationship between cohesiveness and productivity depends on performance-related norms.

  • Diversity: Similarity/difference among group members. - Culturally and demographically diverse groups may promote open-mindedness.