Group Influence
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 Facilitation: How Are WeAffected by the Presence of Others?The Mere Presence of OthersSocial facilitationStrengthening of dominant responses whether correct or incorrect in the presence of others Boosts performance on easy tasksImpairs performance on difficult tasks
Social Facilitation: How Are WeAffected by the Presence of Others?Crowding: The Presence of Many OthersEffect of others’ presence increases with their number Being in a crowd intensifies positive or negative reactions Enhances arousal
Social Facilitation: How Are WeAffected by the Presence of Others?Why Are We Aroused in the Presence of Others?Evaluation apprehensionConcern for how others are evaluating usDriven by distraction
When we wonder how co-actors are doing or how an audience is reacting, we become distracted Mere presenceCan be arousing even when we are not evaluated or distractedSocial Loafing: Do Individuals ExertLess Effort in a Group?Social LoafingTendency for people to exert less effort when they pool their effortstoward a common goal than when they are individually accountableSocial Loafing: Do Individuals ExertLess Effort in a Group?
Many Hands Make Light WorkEffort decreases as group size increasesFree ridersPeople who benefit from the group but give little in returnSocial Loafing: Do Individuals ExertLess Effort in a Group?Social Loafing in Everyday LifePeople in groups loaf less when the task isChallengingAppealingRewards are significantInvolvingTeam spirit
Deindividuation: When Do PeopleLose Their Sense of Self in Groups?DeindividuationLoss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension; occurs in group situations that foster responsiveness to group norms, good or badDeindividuation: When Do PeopleLose Their Sense of Self in Groups?Doing Together What We Would Not Do AloneGroup sizeLarger the group the more its members lose self-awareness and become willing to commit atrocities People’s attention is focused on the situation, not on themselves “Everyone’s doing it” attitude
They contribute their behavior to the situation rather than to their own choicesDeindividuation: When Do PeopleLose Their Sense of Self in Groups?Doing Together What We Would Not Do AloneAnonymityBeing anonymous makes one less self- conscious, more group conscious, and more responsive to cues present in the situation, whethernegative or positive
Children were more likely to transgress by taking extraHalloween candy when in a group, when anonymous, and, especially, when deindividuated by the combination of group immersion and anonymity.Deindividuation: When Do PeopleLose Their Sense of Self in Groups?
Doing Together What We Would Not Do AloneArousing and distracting activitiesWhen we act in an impulsive way as a group, we are not thinking about our values; we are reacting to the immediate situation Impulsive group action absorbs our attention
Deindividuation: When Do PeopleLose Their Sense of Self in Groups?Diminished Self-AwarenessTend to increase people’s responsiveness to the immediate situation, be it negative or positiveGroup Polarization: Do GroupsIntensify Our Opinions?
Group PolarizationGroup-produced enhancement of members’ preexisting tendencies; a strengthening of the members’ average tendency, not a split within the groupGroup Polarization: Do GroupsIntensify Our Opinions?“Risky Shift” Phenomenon
Occurs not only when a group decides by consensus; after a brief discussion, individuals, too, will alter their decisions JuriesBusiness committeesMilitary organizationsTeen drivers
Group Polarization: Do GroupsIntensify Our Opinions?Do Groups Intensify Opinions?Group polarization experimentsMoscovici and Zavalloni (1969)Mititoshi Isozaki (1984)Markus Brauer, et al. (2001)
Group Polarization: Do GroupsIntensify Our Opinions?Do Groups Intensify Opinions?Group polarization in everyday lifeSchoolsAccentuation effectCommunitiesSelf-segregationInternetTerrorists organizations
Group Polarization: Do Groups Intensify Our Opinions?Explaining PolarizationInformational influenceArgumentsActive participation
Group Polarization: Do Groups Intensify Our Opinions?
Explaining PolarizationNormative influenceSocial comparisonEvaluating one’s opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others Pluralistic ignoranceA false impression of what most other people are thinking or feeling, or how they are responding
Groupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?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 Caused by
Cohesive groupIsolation of the group from dissenting viewpointsDirective leader
Groupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?Symptoms of GroupthinkFollowing lead group members to overestimate their group’s might and right Illusion of invulnerabilityUnquestioned belief in the group’s morality
Groupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?Symptoms of Groupthink
Following leads group members to become closed- mindedRationalizationStereotyped view of opponent
Groupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?Symptoms of GroupthinkFollowing leads group to feel pressure toward uniformity Conformity pressureSelf-censorshipIllusion of unanimityMindguards
Groupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?
Critiquing GroupthinkDirective leadership is associated with poorer decisions Groups do prefer supporting over challenging information Groups make smart decisions by widely distributed conversation with members who take turns speaking Group acceptance, approval, and social identity, suppress disagreeable thoughts among members Diverse groups produce more creativity
Groups may not always benefit from all that members knowGroupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?Preventing Groupthink
Be impartialEncourage critical evaluationOccasionally subdivide the group, then reunite to air differences Welcome critiques from outside experts and associatesCall a second-chance meeting
Groupthink: Do Groups Hinder orAssist Good Decisions?
Group Problem SolvingCombine group and solitary brainstormingHave group members interact by writingIncorporate electronic brainstorming
The Influence of the Minority: HowDo Individuals Influence the Group?Consistency
Minority slowness effectSelf-ConfidencePortrayed by consistency and persistenceDefections from the MajorityMinority person who defects from the majority is more persuasive than a consistent minority voice
The Influence of the Minority: HowDo Individuals Influence the Group?Is Leadership Minority Influence?LeadershipProcess by which certain group members motivate and guide the group Formal and informal group leaders exert disproportionate influence
The Influence of the Minority: HowDo Individuals Influence the Group?Is Leadership Minority Influence?Task leadershipOrganizes work, sets standards, and focuses on goalsSocial leadershipBuilds teamwork, mediates conflict, and offers supportTransformational leadershipEnabled by a leader’s vision and inspiration, exerts significant influence