Group Influence

Accentuation Effect

over time initial differences among college students become accentuated (grow farther apart)

Groupthink

- group members lose the ability to think independently or consider alternate points of view critically because of a desire to achieve consensus -Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or disfunctional decision-making outcome Conditions that lead to Groupthink: 1. Highly cohesive group 2. Group isolated from contrary opinions 3. Group ruled by dominant leader who makes wishes known

5 Major ways to Avoid Groupthink

1. Educate members about groupthink 2. Be impartial - do not endorse any position 3. Encourage objection and criticism 4. Assign a "devil's advocate" 5. Subdivide the group occasionally and then reunite to air differences 6. welcome critiques from outside experts and associates

Michaels et al. (1982)

1. Experimenter categorized pool players as experts or novices (based on actual skill level) 2. Experimenter sent confederate to observe game 3. Experimenter kept record of number of shots made and missed DV: % of pool shots made Results: a. experts unwatched = 71% b. experts watched = 80% c. novices unwatched = 36% d. novices watched = 25% Results: Experts did better than normal when watched by others. novices did worse when watched by others

Gergen et al. (1973)

1. Four male and four female subjects put in room for one hour 2. No rules; won't see others after experiment 3. Two conditions: a. Control (lights on) b. Deindividuation (lights out) Results: Talking: Control condition talked more Touching others: -0% touched others in control condition; -90% touched others in deindividuation condition Hugging/kissing: -0% hugged or kissed in control condition -50% hugged/kissed others in deindividuation condition

Theories for why social facilitation occurs What is it about other people that create arousal?

1. Mere presence theory - arousal from presence of others per se 2. Evaluation apprehension theory - arousal from others evaluating you 3. Distraction-conflict theory - arousal from divided attention

Latane el al. (1979)

1. Subjects wore headphones and blindfold. 2. Told would hear cheering/clapping; task was to make same noise as loudly as possible. Control Results: Noise produced by one individual clapping or shouting "as loud as they can" was 3X louder than when six people produced this noise Experimental: Social Loafing: when participants believed that 5 others were shouting or clapping they produced 1/3 the amount of noise that they produced when they thought themselves alone

Johnson & Downing (1979)

1. Told task was recommend increase or a decrease in shock level for another subject (confederate) 2. Two Clothing conditions: a. KKK robe b. nurse outfit 3. Deindividuation conditions: a. Deindividuation (hood covering face) b. Control (no hood) Results DV: Increased or decreased shock up to 3 levels in either direction Participants in nurse uniforms overall shocked less than those in KKK costumes. Nurses in de individuation condition shocked less than those in control

Group Processes

Brainstorming Group Polarization Groupthink Social Facilitation vs. Social Loafing Deindividuation minority influence

Evaluation apprehension theory

Concern for how others are evaluating us. Also helps explain: - why people perform best when co-actor is superior - why people who worry most about what others think are the ones most affected by their presence - Why arousal lessens when a high status group is diluted by adding people whose opinions dont matter - why social facilitation affects are greatest when the others are unfamiliar and hard to keep an eye on - self consciousness can also interfere with behaviors we perform automatically

Brainstorming

Ground rules for brainstorming: 1. Express all ideas that come to mind, even if crazy 2. The more ideas the better 3. Don't worry about whether ideas are good or bad; don't criticize anyone's ideas 4. All ideas belong to group, so members should feel free to build on each other's work Brainstorming is not generally effective for decision making Results in poorer quality of ideas than individuals working alone Production blocking - failure to express ideas because of the social norm that only one person should speak at a time There may be indirect benefits, like promoting group cohesiveness

Group Polarization

Group produced enhancement of members preexisting tendencies; a strengthening of the members average tendency, not a split within the group. e.g., "risky shift" phenomenon - shift occurs when group decides by consensus, after a brief discussion (occurs in all people). During discussion, opinions converge. Point towards which they converge was usually a lower (riskier) number than their initial average. But individuals adapt more extreme view than before. How it works: 1. Social comparison - more extreme views are viewed more favorably (normative influence) 2. Mutual persuasion - Hear new information and arguments (informational influence)

Transformational Leadership

Leadership that when enabled by a leaders vision and inspiration exerts significant influence

Deindividuation

Loss of self awareness and evaluation apprehension; occurs in group situations that foster responsiveness to group norms, good or bad Conditions promoting Deindividuation 1. Anonymity 2. Focusing attention away from self 3. Group Size

Social facilitation

Original meaning: the tendency of people to perform simple or well learned tasks better when others are present Current meaning: the strengthening of dominant responses in the presence of others

Symptoms of Groupthink

Overestimating Groups Might and Right: 1. Group feels invulnerable - Impossible for any harm to come their way 2. Unquestioned belief in the groups morality - can do no wrong, has moral high ground. Group members become close minded: 3. Rationalization - groups discount challenges by collectively justifying their decisions. Spend more time rationalizing than reflecting and rethinking prior decisions to escalate 4. Stereotyped view of opponent - these groups consider enemies too evil to negotiate with or too weak and unintelligent to defend themselves against the planned initiative Group suffers from pressures towards uniformity: 5. Conformity Pressure - group members rebuffed those who raised doubts about the groups assumptions and plans at times not by argument but by personal sarcasm. 6. Self Censorship - since disagreements were uncomfortable and the group seemed in consensus, members withheld or discounted their misgivings 7. Illusion of unanimity - self-censorship and pressure not to puncture the consensus create an illusion of unanimity 8. Mind guards - some people protect the group from information that would call into question the morality or effectiveness of its decisions

Free Riders

People who benefit from the group but give little in return

Factors that Reduce Social Loafing

Social loafing less likely when: 1. Contribution of each member is identifiable 2. Task is challenging, appealing or involving 3. Group performance is rewarded/punished 4. Other group members are friends or they feel identified with or indispensable to their group 5. spirit of commitment to the "team"

Marijuana legalization

Tax revenue Job creation Hemp products Less dangerous than alcohol Not physically addictive Less aggression than alcohol

Robert Zajonc - Mere Presence Theory

The Presence of others LEADS TO arousal LEADS TO dominant response Dominant response varies for well-learned vs. unlearned tasks Well-learned or easy tasks leads to increased arousal that enhances performance Unlearned or difficult tasks leads to increased arousal which promotes incorrect responses and Poorer performance

Social Loafing Do individuals exert less effort in a group?

What about group efforts? Social loafing - tendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their efforts toward a common goal than when they are individually accountable - This is likely in additive tasks, when individual performance cannot be evaluated - Also when people receive same compensation for their work tend to slack off - Diffusion of Responsibility

When is deindividuation less likely to occur?

When person has self-awareness. Mirrors and cameras, small towns, bright lights, large name tags, etc

Pluralistic Ignorance

a false impression of what most other people are thinking or feeling, or how they are responding ex) Professor asks if anyone has any questions, no one responds, leading each student to believe they are the only one that is confused - to overcome pluralistic ignorance someone must break the ice and enable others to reveal and reinforce their shared reactions

Co-Actors

co-participants working individually on a noncompetitive activity

Social Comparison

evaluating ones opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others - we are most influenced by people in our reference groups (groups we identify with)

Normative Influence (explains Polarization)

influence based on a persons desire to be accepted or admired by others. After we find out others share our opinions, we express stronger opinions

Informational Influence (explains Polarization)

influence that results from accepting evidence about reality - hearing new information and arguments can lead to favoring dominant viewpoint - active participation in discussion elicits more attitude change then does active listening

Social Leadership

leadership that builds teamwork, mediates conflict and offers support

Task Leadership

leadership that organizes work, sets standards and focuses on goals

Minority Influence

nonconformity is painful and uncomfortable Minority Slowness Effect - a tendency for people with minority views to express them less quickly than do people of the majority What Makes a Minority Persuasive ? - Consistency - Self confidence - being firm and forceful may make the majority rethink their decision - Defection of the Majority - when a minority consistently doubts the majority so the majority can reevaluate their own doubts and possibly switch to minority position

Leadership

the process by which certain group members motivate and guide the group

Group

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

Driven by Distraction

when we wonder how coactors are doing or how audience is reacting we become distracted - this overloads our cognitive system causing arousal - distraction could come from non-human distraction