Transcript Chapter 8

Understanding Group Interaction
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What is a Group?
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Multiple members
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2 or more people
perceive themselves as
a group
Group rewards
Corresponding effects
Common goals
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Why People Join Groups
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Psychological Needs
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Affiliation
Identification
Survival Needs
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Emotional support
Assistance or help
Commonality
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Common interests
Common goals
Situational Reasons
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Physical proximity
Assignment
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Factors Affecting Group
Performance
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Group Cohesiveness
Communication
Structure
Group Roles
Presence of Others
Type of Task
Individual Dominance
Groupthink
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Factors Affecting Group
Cohesiveness
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Group Homogeneity
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Homogeneous
Heterogeneous
Slightly heterogeneous
Stability of Membership
Isolation
Outside Pressure
Group Size
Group Status
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Group Homogeneity Research
Basketball
Winning %
Family Feud
Prize Money
Homogeneous
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Heterogeneous
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Slightly
heterogeneous
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330
Group
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Group Size
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Smaller is best for
cohesiveness
Performance depends on task
type
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additive tasks
conjunctive tasks
disjunctive tasks
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Communication Structure
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Chains
Centralized
Circles
Open
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Group Roles
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Task-Oriented
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Maintenance-Oriented
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offering new ideas
coordinating activities
encouraging cohesiveness
encouraging participation
Individual
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blocking group activities
calling attention to oneself
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Presence of Others
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Social Facilitation and Inhibition
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mere presence of others
comparison of performance
evaluation apprehension
Social Loafing
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effort won’t be noticed
free-rider theory
sucker-effect theory
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Individual Dominance
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By the group leader
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By a group member
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Groupthink
can occur when the group:
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is cohesive
is insulated from outsiders
believes it is infallible
it is morally superior
is under pressure to conform
has a leader who promotes a
favorite solution
has gatekeepers who keep
information from members
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Group versus Individual
Performance
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Groups
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have higher quality
decisions
are more risky
Individuals
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are more creative
make a decision more
quickly
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