GROUP BEHAVIOR

How our behavior in groups differs from when we are alone.

Social Facilitation• Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others• Occurs with simple or well learned tasks • Tasks that are difficult or not yet learned the

presence of other people is likely to hinder performance

• Evaluation Apprehension – concern about the opinion of others may motivate us to try harder.

• Social Facilitation is even seen in other animals (dogs, cats, cockroaches)

Social Loafing• Social Loafing—tendency to expend less effort (slack off) on a

task when it is a group effort• The larger the group, the the lower each individual’s

output • Diffusion of Responsibility - People may be less accountable

in a group, or they may think their efforts aren’t needed.• Reduced when

– Group is composed of people we know– We are members of a highly valued group– Task is meaningful

• Women are generally less likely to engage in social loafing than are men.

• Opposite occurs in many collectivistic cultures, in a pattern referred to as social striving

Risky Shift

• Tendency for people to take greater risks as a part of a group than they would on their own.

• This is most likely because of deindividuation that occurs.

Deindividuation

• The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

• People lose their sense of responsibility when in a group.

How Do Groups Make Decisions?

Social Decision SchemesRules that govern group decision making

• Majority-Wins Scheme – Applied to situations with no right or wrong answer. Most votes wins.

• Truth-Wins Scheme – learn more about the different choices and choose the one that is best.

• Two-Thirds-Majority Scheme – If 2/3 of the group agrees to a decision the final 1/3 will often follow.

• First-Shift Scheme – When the group is deadlocked 50-50 on a decision once one person changes sides others will soon follow.

Groupthink

• The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision- making group overrides a realistic appraisal of the alternatives

• Group members try to maintain harmony and unanimity in group

• Can lead to some better decisions and some worse decisions than individuals

Group Interaction Effects

Group Polarization

• The strengthening of a group’s prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group

Social Pressure in Group Decisions

• Group polarization– majority position

stronger after a group discussion in which a minority is arguing against the majority point of view

• Why does this occur?– informational and

normative influences

Against For

Group 1 Group 2Before group discussion

Strength of opinion(a)

Against For

Group 1 Group 2After group discussion

Strength of opinion(b)

Group Polarization

Group Leadership

Types of Leaders

• Authoritarian – Absolute control over all decisions (a dictator)

• Democratic – Encourage group members to express and discuss their ideas, build a consensus or take majority’s view.

• Laissez-Faire – Lets group make decisions whether they are right or wrong.

• Best type of leaders depends on the situation (how fast and important is the decision that needs to be made)