Group Influence Chapter 8 David Myers Group Influence

What Constitutes a Group? – Group - two or more individuals who interact and influence each other and perceive each other as “us” Social Facilitation

 Social Facilitation - enhanced performance when acting in the presence of others – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE5nxzSljCg&feature=related – Fail Blog – Zajonc found that performance was enhanced on easy (dominant) tasks and hindered on difficult tasks  Crowding – extreme arousal can interfere with dominant and well-learned behaviors – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJvLwSf0Xi8 Social Facilitation Why Are Others Arousing?

 Explaining Social Facilitation – Evaluation Apprehension – our concern about how others are evaluating us – Mere Presence – the presence of others is physiologically arousing – Distraction-conflict Theory - people get distracted by co- actors, audience, and the task Social Loafing

 Social Loafing - tendency for people to reduce their individual effort when working towards a common goal Social Loafing

 Free Riders – individuals who benefit from group effort but contribute little – Evaluation apprehension is reduced during collective efforts  Social Loafing in Every Day Life?  Loafing occurs less with tasks that are challenging, appealing, or involve friends Social Facilitation vs. Loafing

 When does facilitation occur vs loafing? Deindividuation

 Deindividuation - increased arousal, loss of self- awareness and evaluation apprehension in large crowds – Often results in atypical thoughts and behaviors – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs9Pyhinv6k&feature=related Deindividuation

– Group Size – The larger the crowd the less self-aware the members – Physical Anonymity – increased anonymity can lead to more deindivuated behavior – Arousing Activities – events that divert your attention and increase arousal may lead to deindividuation – Self-awareness – factors that decrease self- awareness increase deindividuation

Group Polarization

 The Risky Shift – group decisions are sometimes riskier than the average individuals – 9 of 10 chance of succeeding (small payout) – 7 of 10 chance of succeeding – 5 of 10 chance of succeeding (medium payout) – 3 of 10 chance of succeeding – 1 of 10 chance of succeeding (large payout)

Deal or No Deal Group Polarization

Group Polarization - discussion can lead to more risky or more cautious behaviors Naturally Occurring Polarization? Explaining Polarization

 Information Influence – information discussed tends to favor the dominant viewpoint  Normative Influence – group norms influence our opinions and decisions – Pluralistic Ignorance – false impression of how other people are thinking, feeling, or responding Groupthink

 Groupthink – overwhelming motivation by group members to reach consensus on decisions Groupthink

 Symptoms of Groupthink – used to maintain positive group feelings – Overestimation of group’s might and right  Illusion of Invulnerability  Belief in group’s morality – Group members become close-minded  Rationalization  Stereotyped view of outgroups – Group suffers from pressures toward uniformity  Conformity pressure/self-censorship  Illusion of unaminity/Mindguards Preventing Groupthink

 Be Impartial  Encourage Critical Evaluations  Subdivide Then Reunite  Invite Outside Reviewers  Hold a Last-Chance Meeting Minority Influence

 How can lone individuals influence the group? – Consistency & Confidence – minority members who stick to their opinions can sway the group – Defections – a majority member who defects is more persuasive than a consistent minority – Newcomers - automatically gain attention and power Problem-solving and Teamwork

 Groups can outperform individuals on intellective tasks – COLOR : SPECTRUM  tone : scale  sound : waves  verse : poem  dimension : space  cell : organism  Brainstorming – group idea generation rarely outperforms individuals Minority Influence - Leadership

 Leadership - the process by which an individual group member will motivate and guide the group – Task Leadership – organizing work, goal-oriented, maintaining standards – Social Leadership – teambuilding, conflict mediations, social support – Transformational Leadership – motivate and inspire via high standards and personal attention