Chapter 9: Group Processes
how to make groupthink less likely
- leader should remain impartial -group should invite outside opinions from non-members -leader can divide groups into subgroups, first meet separately then meet together -seek anonymous opinions
Why might the mere presence of others lead to arousal?
-evaluation apprehension -alertness/vigilance -distraction
antecedents of groupthink
-group is highly cohesive -group is isolated -leader controls discussion -high stress -poor decision making procedures
symptoms of groupthink
-illusion that group is invincible and can do no wrong -belief in moral correctness of group -stereotyped views of out-group -self-censorship -direct pressure on dissenters to conform -illusion of unanimity -mindguards
why does the presence of others lead to arousal?
-other people cause us to become particularly alert and vigilant -they make us apprehensive about how we're being evaluated -they distract us from the task at hand
A __________ leader is one who sets clear, short-term goals and rewards people for meeting them a) transactional b) communal c) transformational d) contingent
A
On his way back from class, sanjeev encounters an angry mob ready to storm the dining hall to demand better food. sanjeev likes the food as it is and wants to stop the mob. what would be the most effective solution? a) finding a friend in the group, calling out her name, and talking to her loudly in front of everyone b) increasing group cohesiveness by inviting the entire mob to his house for tea c) passing out blue shirts for everyone to wear d) reducing process loss in the group by making sure that its most expert members have the most influence
A
One step that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of groupthink is a) creating subgroups that meet on their own first before reconvening and sharing the content of their discussions with the group at large b) taking group votes aloud rather than relying on secret ballot or other anonymous methods c) emphasizing the importance of being unanimous d) putting in place a strong, directive group leader
A
Which of the following individuals would you expect to be most likely to engage in social loafing? a) andy, a british man b) kei, a japanese man c) serena, an american woman d) li, a chinese woman
A
You're trying to decide whether to take a test in a lecture hall where you'll be surrounded by other people or in a room by yourself. Assuming you've studied well for the test and find material to be easy, you will perform best on the test in the _________ because it will result in _________ a) lecture hall; social facilitation b) room by yourself; social facilitation c) lecture hall; social loafing d) room by yourself; social loafing
A
according to sigmund freud, _________ is an inevitable by-product of civilization a) conflict b) cooperation c) negotiation d) psychology
A
group cohesiveness is particularly important for a group when a) the group has formed for primarily social reasons b) the group's primary objective is problem solving c) the group is diverse in terms of gender but not when it is diverse in terms of race d) financial decision making is involved
A
individuals experiencing deindividuation a) exhibit greater conformity to specific group norms b) are unlikely to experience this feeling online, as deindividuation is much less common in virtual environments c) are less likely to engage in destructive or immoral behavior d) feel increasingly accountable for their actions
A
Jim and pam, a married couple, are buying a house and have narrowed their choice down to two options. jim remembers that one house had a beautiful kitchen; pam, however remembers there were roaches in the broom closet. by sharing this information with each other, pam and jim are using _____________ to avoid _______________ a) social roles; deindividuation b) transactive memory; process loss c) mindguards; groupthink d) subgroups; group polarization
B
The concept of social facilitation is so named because of the idea that when the presence of others is arousing? a) hard tasks are facilitated, easy tasks are impeded b) arousal facilitates a well learned, dominant response c) arousal facilitates better task performance d) deindividuation is facilitated
B
When is communication most effective for resolving conflict? a) when its required b) when a mediator is used c) when people communicate through electronic means d) when the stakes are high and both sides of a conflict have the ability to issue threats
B
Which of the following isn't an example of process loss a) group polarization b) transactive memory c) groupthink d) failure to share uniquely held information
B
Which of the following isn't an explanation for why the presence of other people can be arousing? a) having other people around makes an individual feel less accountable for his or her own actions b) when other people are around, an individual has to be on alert in anticipation of what might happen next c) when other people are around, individuals become more concerned about how they're being evaluated d) the presence of other people is distracting and causes conflict, as individuals have to decide what they should pay attention to
B
Your professor calls you up to the front of the class and asks you to answer course-related questions out loud. Even though you feel the eyes of your classmates on you, you find the questions to be easy. According to the model of ________, you should perform _________ on these questions than you would have if you had been asked in private. a) social loafing; better b) social facilitation; better c) social loafing; worse d) social facilitation; worse
B
four psych students working on a group project together are trying to figure out how they should avoid groupthink when making decisions about their project. which of these ideas would be the least helpful? a) assigning each group member to be responsible for a different chapter in their textbook so that they cover all the details b) bonding by going to see a movie together before starting the project c) having a student who is not in their group review the project d) designating a leader to oversee the project, one who is nondirective and encourages people to give honest feedback
B
jim has been convicted of assault. which of the following explanations of his behavior would a social psychologist be most interested in studying? a) his older brother was everything he wasn't - a great student and athlete b) he grew up on a cattle ranch in the southwest c) he had just gotten a job he really wanted, but his self-defeating personality caused him to screw up d) he had just had a rich meal high in carbohydrates
B
relational aggression refers to a) the negative effects of aggression on one's relationships b) expressing aggression indirectly by manipulating a relationship c) behaving violently against one's relations d) having sexual relations with the target of one's aggression
B
social cognitive learning theory explains why, when people are provoked a) they seek their friends' opinions of what to do b) they respond aggressively if they think aggression is justified c) they automatically respond aggressively d) they respond aggressively if they're tired or hungry
B
which of the following is true about research on leadership? a) if a woman succeeds in becoming a leader b) female leaders are more likely than male leaders to be put in precarious, high-risk positions where it's difficult to succeed c) people in all cultures value the same traits in leaders d) the best leaders are just born that way
B
Research on personality type and leadership indicates that a) most successful leaders embrace agentic traits but avoid communal traits b) the most successful US presidents tended to share major personality traits, such as extraversion, openness to new experience, and empathy c) people of all different personality types can become successful leaders d) the great person theory is the best explanation for leadership success
C
The tendency to engage in social loafing is stronger in ____________; its also stronger in ______________ a) men than women; asian cultures than western cultures b) women than men; western cultures than asian cultures c) men than women; western cultures than asian cultures d) women than men; asian cultures than western cultures
C
With the redistricting of the school system, Coach Taylor's football team for the upcoming season is more diverse than usual, with kids from a wide range of backgrounds, including socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, family status, sexual orientation, and even football experience. research suggests which of the following conclusions regarding a group such as this? a) his team will definitely win more games than will less diverse teams b) his team will likely experience deficits in performance, creativity, and problem solving when compared to less diverse teams c) his team is likely to experience threats to morale and group cohesion, but these challenges will probably lessen as the season goes on d) his team will avoid relying on clear social roles
C
a ________ solution is an outcome to a negotiation in which each side concedes on issues that are unimportant to it but are important to the other side a) tit for tat b) communal c) integrative d) transactive
C
consider the prisoner's dilemma, you will receive the worst possible outcome for yourself as an individual if a) you're cooperative and so is your partner b) you're selfish and so is your partner c) you're cooperative but your partner is selfish d) you're selfish but your partner is cooperative
C
from an evolutionary perspective, groups a) are better able than individuals to avoid the influence of social norms b) often lead to immoral behavior, such as that observed among abusive prison guards c) help fulfill a basic human need to affiliate and belong with others d) are more productive when they have two or three members as opposed to when they're larger
C
what does research suggest is the most reasonable conclusion about the effects of media violence? a) their effects depend on whether children are watching cartoons, television b) their effects depend on whether children are watching cartoons, television, or movies c) they have an effect but primarily on children already predisposed to aggression d) they have virtually no effect
C
What does research find about the validity of the catharsis theory? a) supported: it is usually beneficial to ventilate anger and get it out of your system b) disconfirmed: acting out anger is healthy for physical but not psychological c) supported: playing or watching violent sports reduces aggression d) disconfirmed: expressing anger often makes people angrier
D
What does the research on cultures of honor suggest about the relationship between testosterone and aggression? a) it explains why men are more aggressive than women across cultures b) it shows that testosterone and aggression are unrelated c) it shows that culture has little effect on the basic biology of testosterone in men d) it shows that culture affects when and why men can be provoked to become aggressive
D
___________ aggression stems from feelings of anger and is aimed at inflicting pain, whereas __________ aggressions serves as a means to some goal other than pain a) direct, passive b) passive, direct c) instrumental, hostile d) hostile, instrumental
D
group cohesiveness is best defined as a) expectations about the roles and behaviors of men and women b) shared expectations in a group about how people are supposed to behave c) the tendency for people to do better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks in the presence of others d) qualities that bind members together and promote liking between members
D
in terms of physical aggression, men are more likely than women to a) engage in public displays of violence b) behave aggressively to defend their honor or status c) hit or slap a spouse or partner d) a and ab
D
one reason people join group s is to a) avoid having to deal with normative social influence b) avoid well-defined social roles c) decrease their cohesiveness d) accomplish objectives that are more difficult or impossible to accomplish alone
D
two fishing companies use the same body of water to catch fish. Both are considering building dams that would allow them to cut off the water supply and prevent the other company from fishing. Research n the power of threats indicates that if both companies build a dam and gain the ability to prevent the other from fishing, a) conflict will decrease because each side has equal threat capacity b) conflict will increase slightly, but not as much as it would if only one side built a dam and had threat capacity c) conflict will increase, but only if communication between the two companies is prevented d) conflict will increase because each side has equal threat capacity
D
when it comes to social dilemmas, a) laboratory studies can't be useful in understanding the escalation and persistence of group conflicts b) an individual who adopts a cooperative strategy will always be more profitable than one who is selfish c) one side always has to win, and one side always has to lose d) the most beneficial course of action for an individual will, if chosen by most people, be harmful to all in the long run
D
which of the following is most likely to lead to process loss in a committee? a) individual committee members share information that others lack b) the most competent member on any given topic feels free to speak up c) all members of the committee listen carefully to each others opinions d) the committee members are good friends and have known each other for years
D
why are groups often homogeneous (comprised of members who are alike in age, sex, beliefs, and opinions?) a) evolutionary pressures caused people with similar genes to join groups and people with dissimilar genes to avoid each other b) groups are more productive when they're homogeneous c) social loafing prevents us from seeking out new people and experiences d) people who are already similar to each other tend to be drawn to joining the same groups
D
Social Facilitation
Strengthening of the dominant response when in the presence of others and individual performance can be evaluated
social dilemma
a conflict in which the most beneficial action for an individual will, if chosen by most people, have harmful effects on everyone
negotiation
a form of communication between opposing sides in a conflict in which offers and counteroffers are made and a solution occurs only when both parties agree
groupthink
a kind of decision process in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner
tit for tat strategy
a means of encouraging cooperation by at first acting cooperatively but then always responding the way your opponent did (cooperatively or competitively) on the previous trial
integrative solution
a solution to a conflict whereby the parties make trade-offs on issues, with each side conceding the most on issues that are unimportant to it but important to the other side
process loss
any aspect of group interaction that inhibits good problem solving
persuasive argument interpretation of group polarization
each member presents arguments that other members haven't considered
Zimbardo (1973)
guard/prisoner simulation -supports the idea that people can get so far into a role that their personal identities are lost
Triplett (1898)
had children do tasks individually and in groups (timed) they did better when surrounded by other people
task-oriented leaders
leaders who are concerned more with getting the job done than with the workers' feelings and relationships *do well in high and low control work situations*
relationship-oriented leaders
leaders who are concerned more with workers' feelings and relationships *do well in moderate-control work situations*
transformational leaders
leaders who inspire followers to focus on common, long-term goals
transactional leaders
leaders who set clear, short-term goals and reward people who meet them
deindividuation
loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension that leads to loosening of normal constraints on behavior when people are in a crowd or anonymous (makes people feel less accountable) (increases extend to which people obey the group's norms)
group cohesiveness
qualities of a group that bind members together and promote liking between them
social roles
shared expectations in a group about how particular people are supposed to behave
shepperd, 2001
studying social loafing created mundane task for people to do individual evaluation vs. no individual evaluation
social loafing
tendency for people to do worse on simple tasks when they're in the presence of others and individual performance can't be evaluated except: -when the group is especially important to us -when the group is highly cohesive -when the task is important (ex. competition) *always negative* *women are less likely to take part in social loafing when in groups* *more prevalent in western cultures*
transactive memory
the combined memory of a group that is more efficient than the memory of the individual members
great person theory
the idea that certain key personality traits make a person a good leader, regardless of the situation
contingency theory of leadership
the idea that the effectiveness of a leader depends both on how task oriented or relationship oriented the leader is and on the amount of control the leaders has over the group
group polarization
the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of their members
relational interdependence
the tendency to focus on and care about personal relationships with other individuals *women tend to be higher in this than men*
Zajonc roach experiment
timed performance of cockroaches individually and within a group -cockroaches performed the task faster when there were other roaches watching when it is a SIMPLE and well learned one with more difficult tasks, roaches took longer to solve it when other roaches were present
What is a "group"?
two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as us -social norms -social roles
Ringelmann rope experiment
when a group of men pulled on a rope, each individual exerted less effort than when he did it alone
social comparison interpretation of group polarization
when people discuss an issue in a group, they first check how everyone else feels
what two factors predict whether the presence of others will help or hinder individual performance?
whether individual efforts will be evaluated, and whether the task is simple or complex
