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Group Influence
Chapter 8
David Myers
Group Influence
What is a Group?
Social Facilitation
Social Loafing
Deindividuation
Group Polarization and Groupthink
Minority Influence
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 – performance “boost” when acting in the presence of others
– 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
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
Explaining Loafing - evaluation apprehension is
reduced during collective efforts
– Free Riders – individuals who benefit from group
effort but contribute little
Social Loafing in Every Day Life?
Loafing occurs less with tasks that are
challenging, appealing, or involve friends
Cultural Factors?
Social Facilitation vs. Loafing
2 kids shoveling a sidewalk for their parents
Running a 5k race
Running a relay race
Drinking alcohol
Donating money
Deindividuation
Deindividuation - increased arousal, loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension in large crowds
– Often results in atypical thoughts and behaviors
Deindividuation
Contributors to Deindividuation
– Group Size – large crowds can lead to deindividuation
– Physical Anonymity – increased anonymity can lead to
more deindivuated behavior
– Self-awareness – factors that decrease self-
awareness increase deindividuation
– Arousing Activities – events that divert your attention
and increase arousal may lead to deindividuation
Preventing Deindividuation at sporting events?
Polarized Decisions
Deal or No Deal
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)
Group Polarization - discussion can lead to
more risky or more cautious behaviors
Naturally Occurring Polarization?
Group Polarization (formerly
Risky Shift)
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 and 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 groups
rarely outperform 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
Recommended