The Psychology of Groups[Professor Name]

[Class and Section Number]

Today’s Learning Objectives1. Review the evidence that suggests humans have a fundamental need

to belong to groups.

2. Compare the sociometer model of self-esteem to a more traditional

view of self-esteem.

3. Use theories of social facilitation to predict when a group will

perform tasks slowly or quickly (e.g., students eating a meal as a

group, workers on an assembly line, or a study group).

4. Summarize the methods used by Latané, Williams, and Harkins to

identify the relative impact of social loafing and coordination

problems on group performance.

Today’s Learning Objectives6. Describe how groups change over time.

7. Apply the theory of groupthink to a well-known decision-

making group, such as the group of advisors responsible for

planning the Space Shuttle Challenger operation.

8. List and discuss the factors that facilitate and impede group

performance and decision-making.

9. Develop a list of recommendations that, if followed, would

minimize the possibility of groupthink developing in a group.

Warm Up: How many groups?

List all the groups that you belong to. Think about groups that involve your family, friends,

and peers (school and/or work).

Introduction

Overview

• The Psychological Significance of Groups• The Need to Belong, Affiliation in Groups, Identity and Membership,

Evolutionary Advantages of Group Living

• Motivation and Performance • Social Facilitation in Groups, Social Loafing, Teamwork

• Group Development• Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning Phases

• Making Decisions in Groups• Group Polarization, Common Knowledge Effect, Groupthink

• You and Your Groups

Psychological Significance of Groups

The Need to Belong Ostracism

Psychological Significance of Groups

Affiliation in Groups Theory of Social Comparison Downward Social Comparison

Psychological Significance of Groups

Identity and Membership Social Identity Theory Collective Self Esteem Sociometer Model

Psychological Significance of Groups

Evolutionary Advantages of Group Living

Overview• The Psychological Significance of Groups

• The Need to Belong, Affiliation in Groups, Identity and Membership, Evolutionary Advantages of Group Living

• Motivation and Performance • Social Facilitation in Groups, Social Loafing, Teamwork

• Group Development• Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning Phases

• Making Decisions in Groups• Group Polarization, Common Knowledge Effect, Groupthink

• You and Your Groups

Group Problem Solving

Using these materials, how would you mount the candle on a bulletin board?

Group Problem Solving Solution

This is what the solution looks like

CAT: Group Work Evaluations1. Overall, how effectively did your group work together on this

problem? Poorly Adequately Well Extremely well

2. Out of the 6 or 7 group members, how many participated actively

most of the time? No One Some People Most People Everyone

3. Out of the 6 or 7 group members, how many were fully prepared for the activity? No One Some People Most People Everyone

CAT: Group Work Evaluations4. Give one specific example of something you learned from the group that

you probably wouldn't’t have learned working alone?

5. Give one specific example of something the other group members learned from you that they probably wouldn't’t have learned working alone?

6. Suggest one change the group could make to improve its performance.

Motivation and Performance

Social Facilitation in Groups Task dependent

Motivation and Performance

Social Loafing

Did you observe social loafing in your group problem solving?

Motivation and Performance

Teamwork Shared mental model Group cohesion

Overview• The Psychological Significance of Groups

• The Need to Belong, Affiliation in Groups, Identity and Membership, Evolutionary Advantages of Group Living

• Motivation and Performance • Social Facilitation in Groups, Social Loafing, Teamwork

• Group Development• Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning Phases

• Making Decisions in Groups• Group Polarization, Common Knowledge Effect, Groupthink

• You and Your Groups

Group DevelopmentForming Phase: Members become oriented toward one another.Forming Phase: Members become oriented toward one another.

Storming Phase: Members find themselves in conflict, and some solution is sought to improve the group environment.Storming Phase: Members find themselves in conflict, and some solution is sought to improve the group environment.

Norming Phase: Standards for behavior and roles develop that regulate behavior. Norming Phase: Standards for behavior and roles develop that regulate behavior.

Performing Phase: The group has reached a point where it can work as a unit to achieve desired goals.Performing Phase: The group has reached a point where it can work as a unit to achieve desired goals.

Adjourning Phase: The group disbands.Adjourning Phase: The group disbands.

Overview• The Psychological Significance of Groups

• The Need to Belong, Affiliation in Groups, Identity and Membership, Evolutionary Advantages of Group Living

• Motivation and Performance • Social Facilitation in Groups, Social Loafing, Teamwork

• Group Development• Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning Phases

• Making Decisions in Groups• Group Polarization, Common Knowledge Effect, Groupthink

• You and Your Groups

Making Decisions in Groups

Group Polarization Common Knowledge Effect

Making Decisions in Groups

Groupthink Form groups of 3 people Read the article Answer the questions on

the handout Class discussion

Making Decisions in Groups

Four group-level factors that combine to cause groupthink:

Cohesion

Isolation

Biased leadership

Decisional stress

Overview• The Psychological Significance of Groups

• The Need to Belong, Affiliation in Groups, Identity and Membership, Evolutionary Advantages of Group Living

• Motivation and Performance • Social Facilitation in Groups, Social loafing, Teamwork

• Group Development• Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning Phases

• Making decisions in groups• Group Polarization, Common Knowledge Effect, Group Think

• You and your groups

Wrap Up: You and Your Groups

(CAT): Student-Generated Test Questions

In groups of 3 or 4 people write 3 test questions on material from this module.

Accurately and completely answer each question.

Photo Attribution

Slide 1Photo Credit: Group picture from another viewpoint over Baikal Vera & Jean-Christophe https://www.flickr.com/photos/magical-world/1282879308 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Slide 4Photo Credit: IMG_0060 aiesecgermany https://www.flickr.com/photos/37438630@N08/4325094956/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Slide 5Photo Credit: 3.Senior WorkOut Groups - - Grupos de la Tercera Edad - (mom) skerge https://www.flickr.com/photos/42149282@N00/4572202730 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Slide 7Photo Credit: Racism Thomas Quine https://www.flickr.com/photos/91994044@N00/4331081980/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Slide 8Photo Credit: HARLEM Keith DeBetham https://www.flickr.com/photos/harlemhappenings/493274426/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Slide 9Photo Credit: Women farmers in self-help groups at field visit in Haryana, India, by ILRI management and board ILRI https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilri/8186992303/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Slide 10Photo Credit: Group Selfie Prayitno / Thank you for (8 millions +) views https://www.flickr.com/photos/prayitnophotography/15336688748 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Slides 14, 15 & 26

Photo Credit: Illustrated silhouette of a black cat nehtaeh79 http://www.freestockphotos.biz/stockphoto/16624 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Slide 15Photo Credit: Digging a ditch Blake Read https://www.flickr.com/photos/blakeread/29721139/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Slide 16Photo Credit: Racing Christopher Schmidt https://www.flickr.com/photos/56541240@N00/2956013767/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Photo Attribution

Slide 17Photo Credit: Teamwork pmbbun https://pixabay.com/en/teamwork-co-workers-office-business-383939/ https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

Slide 21

Photo Credit: A 'Push of Pike' between two teams of the Sealed Knot during a re-enactment of the Siege of Basing House, an event in the English Civil War Anguskirk https://www.flickr.com/photos/anguskirk/4956237853 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Slide 22Photo Credit: Red Crayons Anne Santos https://www.flickr.com/photos/gingerldk/294115925 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

Slide 23Photo Credit: groupthink khrawlings https://www.flickr.com/photos/23808252@N00/3177503505/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/