Group Processes
•Fundamentals of Groups
  •Individuals & Groups
   •Group Performance
         •Conflict
• I Fundamentals of Groups
Group- two or more people, who for
 longer than a few moments, interact
 and influence one another and perceive
 one another as “us”.

Collectives & assemblages- gym
 membership, etc…
Joining Groups
• Meet the demands of life.
• Innate social need (social brain
  hypothesis)
• Personal & social identity
• Fear of isolation (being alone)
•    Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development (1965)
1.   Forming- members get to know each other.
2.   Storming- Members try to shape the group to fit their personal
     needs.
3.    Norming- Members attempt to reconcile and compromise
4.    Performing- members adopt their assigned roles & try to
     carry those roles out.
5.   Adjourning- Members distance themselves from the group
     when the group costs more than the benefits that are yielded.
• Roles- set of expected behaviors.
• Formal or informal
The more ambiguous one’s role, the
  worse one’s performance (Lu et al.,
  2008)
• Abillities & Roles (Woolley, 2007)
• Participants work in 2 person teams.
• One member works on an object identification task, the other on
  a sptial relationship task.
• Three teams: Homogenous, Incongruent, congruent.
• Homogenous team- two individuals both good at the same task.
• Incongruent team- two people, both good at the other person’s
  task.
• Congruent team- two members, both matched roles to strengths
• Congruent teams performed significantly better.
• Norms- rules of conduct for members
• Formal or informal
• A group norm for individualism can be
  formed, resulting in members who
  conform to the norm of not conforming
  (McAuliffe, 2003).
• Cohesiveness- feelings of intimacy,
  unity, and commitment to group goals
  that brings group members together.
• Mullen & Cooper (1994) found stronger
  evidence that performance affects
  cohesiveness than cohesiveness
  affects performance. We more often
  bond because we win, not win because
  we bond.
• Culture (collectivist/individualist)
• Nibler & Harris (2003)
• 5, 2 person groups, strangers, 1 from China &
  1from US.
• Asked to rank 15 items to be taken on a
  lifeboat.
• CONFLICT & DISAGREEMENT
• China/US disagreement interfered with group
  performance.
• US/US groups, viewed as debate & freedom
  of expression.
• II Individuals in Groups
• Social Facilitation- presence of others
  enhances performance on easy tasks,
  but impairs performance on difficult
  tasks.
• Triplett (1897) bicycle racing.
• Robert Zajonc (1965) on individual
  performance within a group:
• Presence of others creates arousal.
• Arousal decreases performance on
  tasks that one is not excellent at &
  increases performance on tasks that
  one is excellent at.
• People relate to TV characters.
• Knowles (2008) People demonstrated
  social facilitation with a photo of their
  favorite TV character present.
• Catrambone (2007) demonstrated
  social facilitation with virtual person.
Other theories of Social Facilitation
• Mere Presence Theory- mere presence of
  another.
• Evaluation apprehension theory- social
  facilitation only occurs when being judged.
• Distraction-Conflict theory- social facilitation
  effects only present if interference &
  distraction from evaluator.
• Social Loafing- A group produced
  reduction in individual output on tasks
  where contributions are pooled.
• 1880s Ringelmann (France) found that farm
  production decreased when working in groups.
• Ingham (1974) in a rope pulling task, subjects pulled
  20% harder when they thought they were alone.
• Latané (1979) social loafing term originators: people
  cheered & clapped louder if the were the only fan at
  an event.
How to reduce social loafing.
  People believe their performance is identifiable.

  Task is important to the individual.

  Group anticipates punishment for poor performance.

  Small group.

  High group cohesiveness.

CYBERLOAFING- personal web-surfing at work.
• Collective Effort Model
People will put forth an effort to the
  degree that they feel their effort is
  important.
(Karau & Williams, 2001)
Sucker Effect -people put in less effort
  when they see others loafing.
Culture & Social Loafing

Universal but less common in collectivist
 cultures.
Deindividuation
Loss of a sense of individuality and reduction of
  normal constraints on behavior. (Festinger,
  1952)
Zimbardo (1969) reduced feelings of
  responsibility when in a group.
  ARROUSAL+ANONYMITY= REDUCED
  SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Prentice-Dunn & Rogers (1983)
Two cues for deviant behavior:
Accountability cues
Attentional cues

If accountability is low & attention is on
   something other than self, mob
   mentality occurs.
Diener & Beaman (1976)
Trick or treaters asked name & address.
Or
Trick or treaters anonymous.
Invited to take 1 item from a bowl.
Group + anonymous = 50% took more
  than 1 treat.
Social identity model of deindividuation
 effects (SIDE)-
Model describing the process of shifting
 from “I” to “we”.

Can result in good or bad.
• III Group Performance
Process loss- reduction in group
  performance due to group processes,
  dynamics, or structure (Steiner, 1972).
Additive task- performance sum of all.
Conjunctive task -worst performing
  individual.
Disjunctive task - assessed on best
  performing group member.
Brainstorming
• Attempts to increase performance by
  increasing members of a team (two
  heads are better than one).
• (Osborn, 1953)
• Express all ideas
• More is better
• All ideas belong to the group
• No good or bad ideas
Brainstorming Problems &
             Solutions
1.   Production blocking- waiting turn, forget or lose
     idea. - write down ideas.
2.   Free riding- let others do the thinking- keep track of
     each members input.
3.   Evaluation apprehension- fear of ridicule for ideas -
     anonymous idea suggestion.
4.    performance matching- work only as hard as
     others work. - share other’s ideas with the group to
     motivate.
Group Polarization
• Majority idea highjack the meeting.
  Initial majority attitudes determine ideas
  & outcomes that are supported or
  rejected by the group.
Groupthink
• The desire to agree & have a good
  feeling in the group leads to agreeing
  on mediocre ideas.
Escalation Effects
• Becoming more committed to a failling
  idea to justify the resources already
  invested in it.
• “Saving face” by “staying the course”.
• The honor of commitment & sticking to
  one’s ideals.
• Foolish consistency.
Group processes lecture social psychology

Group processes lecture social psychology

  • 1.
    Group Processes •Fundamentals ofGroups •Individuals & Groups •Group Performance •Conflict
  • 2.
  • 3.
    Group- two ormore people, who for longer than a few moments, interact and influence one another and perceive one another as “us”. Collectives & assemblages- gym membership, etc…
  • 4.
    Joining Groups • Meetthe demands of life. • Innate social need (social brain hypothesis) • Personal & social identity • Fear of isolation (being alone)
  • 5.
    Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development (1965) 1. Forming- members get to know each other. 2. Storming- Members try to shape the group to fit their personal needs. 3. Norming- Members attempt to reconcile and compromise 4. Performing- members adopt their assigned roles & try to carry those roles out. 5. Adjourning- Members distance themselves from the group when the group costs more than the benefits that are yielded.
  • 6.
    • Roles- setof expected behaviors. • Formal or informal The more ambiguous one’s role, the worse one’s performance (Lu et al., 2008)
  • 7.
    • Abillities &Roles (Woolley, 2007) • Participants work in 2 person teams. • One member works on an object identification task, the other on a sptial relationship task. • Three teams: Homogenous, Incongruent, congruent. • Homogenous team- two individuals both good at the same task. • Incongruent team- two people, both good at the other person’s task. • Congruent team- two members, both matched roles to strengths • Congruent teams performed significantly better.
  • 8.
    • Norms- rulesof conduct for members • Formal or informal • A group norm for individualism can be formed, resulting in members who conform to the norm of not conforming (McAuliffe, 2003).
  • 9.
    • Cohesiveness- feelingsof intimacy, unity, and commitment to group goals that brings group members together.
  • 10.
    • Mullen &Cooper (1994) found stronger evidence that performance affects cohesiveness than cohesiveness affects performance. We more often bond because we win, not win because we bond.
  • 11.
    • Culture (collectivist/individualist) •Nibler & Harris (2003) • 5, 2 person groups, strangers, 1 from China & 1from US. • Asked to rank 15 items to be taken on a lifeboat. • CONFLICT & DISAGREEMENT • China/US disagreement interfered with group performance. • US/US groups, viewed as debate & freedom of expression.
  • 12.
  • 13.
    • Social Facilitation-presence of others enhances performance on easy tasks, but impairs performance on difficult tasks. • Triplett (1897) bicycle racing.
  • 14.
    • Robert Zajonc(1965) on individual performance within a group: • Presence of others creates arousal. • Arousal decreases performance on tasks that one is not excellent at & increases performance on tasks that one is excellent at.
  • 15.
    • People relateto TV characters. • Knowles (2008) People demonstrated social facilitation with a photo of their favorite TV character present. • Catrambone (2007) demonstrated social facilitation with virtual person.
  • 16.
    Other theories ofSocial Facilitation • Mere Presence Theory- mere presence of another. • Evaluation apprehension theory- social facilitation only occurs when being judged. • Distraction-Conflict theory- social facilitation effects only present if interference & distraction from evaluator.
  • 17.
    • Social Loafing-A group produced reduction in individual output on tasks where contributions are pooled. • 1880s Ringelmann (France) found that farm production decreased when working in groups. • Ingham (1974) in a rope pulling task, subjects pulled 20% harder when they thought they were alone. • Latané (1979) social loafing term originators: people cheered & clapped louder if the were the only fan at an event.
  • 18.
    How to reducesocial loafing. People believe their performance is identifiable. Task is important to the individual. Group anticipates punishment for poor performance. Small group. High group cohesiveness. CYBERLOAFING- personal web-surfing at work.
  • 19.
    • Collective EffortModel People will put forth an effort to the degree that they feel their effort is important. (Karau & Williams, 2001) Sucker Effect -people put in less effort when they see others loafing.
  • 20.
    Culture & SocialLoafing Universal but less common in collectivist cultures.
  • 21.
    Deindividuation Loss of asense of individuality and reduction of normal constraints on behavior. (Festinger, 1952) Zimbardo (1969) reduced feelings of responsibility when in a group. ARROUSAL+ANONYMITY= REDUCED SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
  • 22.
    Prentice-Dunn & Rogers(1983) Two cues for deviant behavior: Accountability cues Attentional cues If accountability is low & attention is on something other than self, mob mentality occurs.
  • 23.
    Diener & Beaman(1976) Trick or treaters asked name & address. Or Trick or treaters anonymous. Invited to take 1 item from a bowl. Group + anonymous = 50% took more than 1 treat.
  • 24.
    Social identity modelof deindividuation effects (SIDE)- Model describing the process of shifting from “I” to “we”. Can result in good or bad.
  • 25.
    • III GroupPerformance
  • 26.
    Process loss- reductionin group performance due to group processes, dynamics, or structure (Steiner, 1972). Additive task- performance sum of all. Conjunctive task -worst performing individual. Disjunctive task - assessed on best performing group member.
  • 27.
    Brainstorming • Attempts toincrease performance by increasing members of a team (two heads are better than one). • (Osborn, 1953) • Express all ideas • More is better • All ideas belong to the group • No good or bad ideas
  • 28.
    Brainstorming Problems & Solutions 1. Production blocking- waiting turn, forget or lose idea. - write down ideas. 2. Free riding- let others do the thinking- keep track of each members input. 3. Evaluation apprehension- fear of ridicule for ideas - anonymous idea suggestion. 4. performance matching- work only as hard as others work. - share other’s ideas with the group to motivate.
  • 29.
    Group Polarization • Majorityidea highjack the meeting. Initial majority attitudes determine ideas & outcomes that are supported or rejected by the group.
  • 30.
    Groupthink • The desireto agree & have a good feeling in the group leads to agreeing on mediocre ideas.
  • 31.
    Escalation Effects • Becomingmore committed to a failling idea to justify the resources already invested in it. • “Saving face” by “staying the course”. • The honor of commitment & sticking to one’s ideals. • Foolish consistency.