Chapter 8: Group Influence

group polarization: discussion typically (strengthens/weakens) the average inclination of group members.

strengthens

According to social psychologists, which of the following factors creates arousal in people? vanity evaluation apprehension groupthink deindividuation

evaluation apprehension

social facilitation

(1) Original meaning: the tendency of people to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when others are present. (2) Current meaning: the strengthening of dominant (prevalent, likely) responses in the presence of others.

Groupthink

"The mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action." —Irving Janis, "Groupthink," 1971 In other words, it is the tendency of decision-making groups to suppress opposing views in the interest of group harmony.

We are most persuaded by our _____, groups we identify with.

"reference groups"

Groupthink develops because.... (1) an amiable, _______group (2) relative _________of the group from dissenting viewpoints (3) a ________ _______ who signals what decision he or she favors

(1) an amiable, cohesive group (2) relative isolation of the group from dissenting viewpoints (3) a directive leader who signals what decision he or she favors

What are 3 possible factors for why we are aroused in the presence of others?

(1) evaluation apprehension (2) distraction (3) mere presence

Preventing Groupthink: (1) be __________; do not endorse any position. (2) encourage critical _______; assign a "devils advocate" (3) Occasionally ______ the group; then reunite to air differences. (4) welcome _________ from outside experts and associates (5) before implementing, call a "______-______" meeting too air any lingering doubts.

(1) impartial (2) evaluation (3) subdivide (4) critiques (5) "second-chance" meeting

Symptoms of groupthink include:

(1) overestimating their groups might and right - illusion of invulnerability -unquestioned belief in the groups morality (2) Group members become closed-minded -Rationalization - Stereotyped view of opponent (3) Group members suffer from pressure toward uniformity -Conformity pressure -self-censorship -illusion of unanimity -mindguards

pluralistic ignorance

A false impression of what most other people are thinking or feeling, or how they are responding.

self-awareness

A self-conscious state in which attention focuses on oneself. It makes people more sensitive to their own attitudes and dispositions.

Which of the following are examples of circumstances that increase self-awareness, thus decreasing the likelihood of deindividuation? Cameras Name tags Large cities Mirrors

Cameras Name tags Mirrors

co-actors

Co-participants working individually on a noncompetitive activity.

When American troops entered Iraq's cities in 2003, looters took hospital beds, library books, and even lightbulbs. The fact that the looters often ran in large groups (producing feelings of anonymity), and they felt little responsibility for their actions relates to which concept? Group polarization Deindividuation Risky shifters Free rider

Deindividuation

social comparison

Evaluating one's opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others.

Which of the following is TRUE of the change in people's attitudes when they are part of group discussions? Group discussion often strengthens members' initial inclinations. Group discussion magnifies positive tendencies and mitigates negative ones. When people share negative impressions of a group, discussion decreases their willingness to discriminate. When people share concerns about an injustice, discussion reduces their moral concern.

Group discussion often strengthens members' initial inclinations

According to Irving Janis's observation of groupthink, which of the following statements is true of the symptoms of groupthink? Members accept challenges by collectively reviewing their decisions. Group members feel that they are on the brink of making a bad decision. Group members assume the inherent morality of their group. Deviants surface in the group and disrupt a discussion.

Group members assume the inherent morality of their group.

group polarization

Group-produced enhancement of members' preexisting tendencies; a strengthening of the members' average tendency, not a split within the group

This symptom of groupthink occurs when group members self-censor, or hold back arguments against the group decision, because of the pressure to keep consensus. Mindguards Stereotyped view of opponent Illusion of unanimity Rationalization

Illusion of unanimity

________ is the process by which individuals mobilize and guide groups. = Transformational leadership Leadership Social leadership Task leadership

Leadership

Which of the following are factors in our increased arousal by the presence of others? Mere presence Task leadership Evaluation apprehension Distractions

Mere presence Evaluation apprehension Distractions

Free-riders

People who benefit from the group but give little in return.

______ is the tendency for people to exert less effort when working in groups than when working alone. Public loafing Collective loafing Communal loafing Social loafing

Social loafing

This symptom of groupthink occurs when group members see those outside of the group as evil, weak, or unintelligent. Illusion of invulnerability Stereotyped view of opponent Mindguards Conformity pressure

Stereotyped view of opponent

Which of the following statements is TRUE about the relationship between work performance and the presence of others? Because competition motivates, people working on complicated tasks are more efficient when they work in the same room rather than in isolation. For both simple and complex tasks, environmental distractions invariably undermine the quality of performance. On simple, individualistic tasks, people work better when alone rather than in the presence of others. The presence of others speeds up the performance of simple, well-learned tasks.

The presence of others speeds up the performance of simple, well-learned tasks.

social loafing

The tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable.

True or false: Janis's evidence for groupthink is retrospective, leading many researchers to question the validity of the research. True or False

True

Group

Two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as "us."

According to the experiments initiated by Serge Moscovici in Paris, which of the following is true of the determinants of minority influence? A minority that wavers is more influential than a minority that sticks to its position. Any behavior by a majority that conveys self-confidence tends to raise self-doubts among the minority. When a minority consistently doubts the majority wisdom, majority members become free to express their own doubts. Compared to majority influence that often stimulates a deeper processing of arguments, minority influence triggers unthinking agreement.

When a minority consistently doubts the majority wisdom, majority members become free to express their own doubts.

According to research by Mann (1981) and Smith, et al. (2020), what factors made crowds more likely to encourage a person who was threatening to jump from a building or bridge? a large group at night a small group at night a large group in daylight a small group in daylight

a large group at night

In groups, individuals are likely to make more dangerous decisions. This statement describes _____. a social leader the risky shift social facilitation a task leader

a risky shift

According to the informational influence theory, _____ in discussion produces more attitude change than _____. active participation; passive listening passive listening; active participation pluralistic ignorance; socially comparing socially comparing; pluralistic ignorance

active participation; passive listening

Informational influence involves not only hearing the arguments but also ______ the discussion. culturally comparing validating socially comparing actively participating in

actively participating in

Human needs that different groups help us meet are: to ______ (to belong to and connect with others), to _______, and to gain a social _________.

affiliate, achieve, identity

Norman Tripplet (1898) compared children winding a fishing reel alone with children winding the reel along with others performing the same task. Triplett was attempting to demonstrate that ______. difficult tasks hinder performance another's presence boosts performance another's presence hinders performance difficult tasks boost performance

another's presence boosts performance

Explaining group polarization: (1) _________presented during a discussion is an example of informational influence (results from accepting evidence about reality) (2) How members view themselves via other group members is an example of ________ influence (influence based on a person's desire to be accepted or admired by others).

arguments; normative

People who are made self-aware by acting in front of a mirror or TV camera have been found to behave more consistently with their attitudes. be less thoughtful in analyzing complex social issues. be more vulnerable to persuasive appeals that run counter to social norms. exhibit increased self-confidence

be more vulnerable to persuasive appeals that run counter to social norms.

Group members critiquing one another can allow for the group to avoid some forms of _________ ___________.

cognitive bias

evaluation apprehension

concern for how others are evaluating us

Defections from the majority, self-confidence, and Blank______ allow a minority opinion to influence the majority opinion in a group setting. consistency risky shift group polarization free riders

consistency

Determinants of minority influence: ______, _______-______, and ________

consistency, self-confidence, and defection.

Norman Triplett (1898) noticed that: cyclists' times were faster when they raced together compared with when racing alone. cyclists' times were slower when they raced together compared with when racing alone. cyclists' times were faster when they raced alone compared with when racing with one other person.

cyclists' times were faster when they raced together compared with when racing alone.

A looting mob is a good example of deindividuation. minority influence. social ostracism. social loafing.

deindividuation

_____ is the loss of self-awareness in groups. Group polarization Deindividuation Social loafing Normative influence

deindividuation

Deindividuation occurs when _____ and _____ combine and normal inhibitions diminish. diffused responsibility; arousal physical anonymity; heightened inhibitions arousal; small, familiar group members small tight-knit groups; fatigue

diffused responsibility; arousal

One effect of deindividuation is diminished self-restraint. a risky shift. social facilitation. increased self-awareness.

diminished self-restraint.

Crowding _____ arousal, which facilitates _____ responses. diminishes; inferior enhances; dominant diminishes; dominant enhances; inferior

enhances; dominant

task leadership

goal-oriented leadership that sets standards, organizes work, and focuses attention on goals

Three examples of social influence in interacting groups: group ____________, group________, and ________ _________.

group polarization, groupthink, and minority influence.

In like-minded groups, people tend to be more extreme in their opinions. This concept is called: deindividuation. group polarization. social facilitation. minority influence.

group polarization.

The fact that people associate mostly with others whose attitudes are similar to their own suggests the prevalence of naturally occurring groupthink. minority influence. social facilitation. group polarization.

group polarization.

social leadership

group-oriented leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support

______________include two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another.

groups

Groups experiencing _____ do not consider alternative ideas, and they desire harmony at the expense of quality decisions. social facilitation groupthink social loafing group polarization

groupthink

Max Ringelmann found that the collective effort of tug-a-war teams was ______ the sum of the individual efforts. three times twice equal to half

half

Groupthink symptoms include ______. (Select all that apply) illusion of invulnerability decreased liking for the group rationalization conformity pressure

illusion of invulnerability rationalization conformity pressure

Large anonymous groups _____ the probability of deinviduation. do not influence decrease increase

increase

Of the different explanations for why group polarization occurs, the one that deals with the arguments presented during a discussion being persuasive is called ______. . pluralistic ignorance social facilitation informational influence normative influence

informational influence

Being in a crowd _____ positive or negative reactions. has little impact on weakens intensifies has no impact on

intensifies

According to research, the _____ a mob of people, the more likely its members are to commit atrocities. more homogenous more diverse larger smaller

larger

Transformational Leadership

leadership that, enabled by a leader's vision and inspiration, exerts significant influence

Latane, Williams, and Harkins (1979) found that when participants believed others were also shouting or clapping, they produced ______ noise than when they thought they were alone. less slightly more equal a lot more

less

Woman exhibit (less/more) social loafing because they tend to be less individualistic than men.

less

people in collectivistic cultures exhibit (less or more) social loafing than do people in individualistic cultures

less

Myers and Bishop (1970) set up groups of relatively prejudiced and unprejudiced high school students and asked them to respond—before and after discussion—to issues involving racial attitudes. They found that ______. the two groups became more understanding of the other groups responses like-minded students increased the initial gap between groups there was no difference in the responses like-minded students changed their responses after the discussion

like-minded students increased the initial gap between groups

deindividuated

loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension; occurs in group situations that foster responsiveness to group norms, good or bad

When individual efforts are pooled and not evaluated, evaluation apprehension is ________ and the probability of social loafing is ________. high; high low; low high; low low; high

low; high

Which of the following plays a role in the fact that our arousal is increased by the presence of others? Low ball Empty love Task leadership Mere presence

mere presence

The Blank______ is the tendency for people with minority views to express them less quickly than do people in the majority. social loafing effect social facilitation effect deindividuation effect minority slowness effect

minority slowness effect

In workplace group experiments (Lount & Wilk, 2014), employees produce ________when their individual performance is posted for all to see.

more

Consistent with what is known about group polarization, Schkade and Sunstein (2003) found that on federal appellate court cases, a Republican judge sitting with two other Republicans voted ________ than when sitting with one Democratic appointee. more liberally more conservatively less predictably more predictably

more conservatively

According to research by Shteynberg et al. (2016), when people believed they were watching an online video of a political speech at the same time as many other people, rather than watching by themselves, their judgments of the speech were ______. more extreme generally positive generally noncommittal less extreme

more extreme

Of the group polarization theories, the theory that deals with complying with a group decision in order to fit in is called __________influence.

normative

When you attend a play, you may find yourself applauding when others do even if you did not approve of the performance. If you clapped to avoid the disapproval of the other audience members, it would be because of _______. normative influence social facilitation informational influence group polarization

normative influence

Using a disguised name, a young man sends threatening emails and bullies his school friends on various online forums. This is an example of deindividuation that is primarily based on which of the following? distracting activities self-handicapping group size physical anonymity

physical anonymity

Which of the following conditions influence when people lose their sense of self and are more likely to become "deindividualized?" Physical anonymity Free riders Group size Social facilitation

physical anonymity group size

A girl has a crush on a boy but is afraid to ask him out because she does not think he is interested in her. The same boy has a crush on the same girl but hasn't asked for her phone number because he thinks she'll say "no." This is a case of pluralistic ignorance. groupthink. social comparison. group polarization.

pluralistic ignorance

While making a decision in a group, group _________ describes group members' tendency to move their opinions toward a more extreme point.

polarization

Research shows that when a group is brainstorming, if debate and criticism occurs within the group, then: quality of ideas increases. quality of ideas decreases. cognitive bias increases.

quality of ideas increases.

We are most persuaded by ______ that we identify with. . reference groups informational groups dissimilar groups pluralistic groups

reference groups

People are more likely to exhibit social loafing if they find the task to be challenging. rewards are divided according to individual effort. rewards are divided equally regardless of individual effort. they are individually monitored.

rewards are divided equally regardless of individual effort.

In which of the following activities can a person enhance performance by the mere presence of other people? completing mazes riding a bicycle performing complex multiplication problems learning nonsense syllables

riding a bicycle

Consistency, Blank______, and defection allow a minority opinion to influence the majority opinion in a group. social facilitation risky shift self-confidence social loafing

self-confidence

Being anonymous makes one less self-conscious, more group-conscious, and more responsive to _________ _________, whether positive or negative.

situational cues

Three effects of others' mere presence: social ________, social ___________, and _________________.

social facilitation, social loafing, and deindividuation.

When being observed increases evaluation concerns, social __________ occurs; when being lost in a crowd decreases evaluation concerns, social _________ occurs.

social facilitation; social loafing

________ refers to the tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable. Deindividuation Availability heuristic Social loafing Social facilitation

social loafing

lone defector

someone who initially agreed with the majority but then reconsidered and dissented

A manager is excellent at organizing her employees, setting goals, and focusing on achieving those goals for the company. She excels in social leadership. affiliative leadership. laissez-faire leadership. task leadership.

task leadership

_______ leadership organizes work, sets standards, and focuses on goals, whereas ______ leadership builds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers support. Social; task Transformational; social Task; transformational Task; social

task; social

additive tasks

tasks where the group's achievement depends on the sum of the individual efforts

minority slowness effect

the tendency of those who hold a minority opinion to express that opinion less quickly than people who hold the majority opinion

A person who is able to motivate others to identify with and commit themselves to the group's mission would be best described as a(n) social leader. task leader. transactional leader. transformational leader.

transformational leader.

risky shift phenomenon

type of group polarization effect in which a group discussion leads to the adoption of a riskier course of action than the members would have endorsed initially

***Social psychologists have accurately predicted that ________ will exhibit less social loafing. women men children the elderly

women

In the context of leadership, research by Lee et al. (2011) indicated that men are less likely to engage in social loafing than women. are more opposed to social hierarchies than women. women are more egalitarian than men. women are more likely to be task leaders than men.

women are more egalitarian than men.