Groups + Social Norms
What is a group in social psychology?
A collection of individuals who interact, share common goals and influence one another.
What is social influence?
When a person's behaviour is affected by the words or actions of others.
What is social facilitation?
When the presence of others improves an individual's performance.
What is competition?
Rivalry between individuals or groups.
What is social loafing?
When someone puts in less effort while working in a group than they would individually.
What is the difference between an explicit and implicit social norm?
Explicit norms are directly stated or written; implicit norms are understood without being directly stated.
What is peer pressure?
Influence from friends or peers to adopt their attitudes, behaviours or values.
What is social inhibition?
When someone limits their behaviour or performance due to the presence or judgement of others.
Does competition between groups generally increase or decrease group solidarity, according to the PowerPoint?
Increase group solidarity.
What is deindividuation?
A loss of personal identity, self-awareness and responsibility when part of a group.
Identify TWO key features of a group.
Any two: shared goal, dependence on one another, or a shared identity as 'us' or 'we'.
True or false: Peer pressure always has a negative impact on behaviour.
False. It can be positive or negative.
A basketball player performs better in front of a cheering crowd. What phenomenon is occurring?
Social facilitation.
How can competition within the same group negatively affect performance?
It can decrease productivity, reduce group cohesion and hinder shared goals.
A student contributes very little to a group assignment because everyone else is doing the work. What phenomenon is occurring?
Social loafing.
A friendship group provides emotional support and a sense of belonging. Is this group socially dependent or task dependent?
Socially dependent.
Your friends encourage you to study for an upcoming test, so you decide to study too. What type of influence is this?
Positive peer pressure.
A student knows the answer but is too embarrassed to raise their hand. Explain the phenomenon occurring.
Social inhibition, because fear of negative judgement prevents the student from answering.
Which 1898 researcher is associated with the study of social facilitation?
Norman Triplett.
A person witnesses an emergency but does not help because several other people are present. What phenomenon is this?
The bystander effect.
Explain how social norms help society function, and give an example of an implicit norm.
They provide order and predictability by guiding expected behaviour. Example: waiting your turn to speak.
A student changes their opinion to agree with their friendship group, despite privately disagreeing. Identify the social phenomenon and explain why it occurs.
Conformity: changing behaviour or expressed opinions to align with the group.
Explain TWO factors needed for effective cooperation within a group.
Any two: effective communication, helpfulness, coordinated roles, shared goals, or a sense of social identity.
Which 1954 experiment investigated competition for resources between groups, and what theory is associated with it?
The Robbers Cave Experiment; realistic group conflict theory.
An anonymous person in a large online group begins bullying others, despite never behaving this way face-to-face. Identify the phenomenon and TWO contributing factors.
Deindividuation. Factors include anonymity, large group size, reduced accountability and reduced self-awareness.