Exam 9: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups

The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib best illustrates

You belong to a study group that your math instructor assigned you to in the beginning of the semester. Your group's task is to solve several problems every week. What type of group, according to your text, would lead to optimal performance?

What is a social dilemma? Provide an example of a particular kind of social dilemma, and discuss how social dilemmas can be resolved.

Research (Twenge, 2001) found that women's self-ratings of assertiveness mirrored the opportunities for women that were available socially, becoming more assertive during those times when women's roles were more independent and less assertive when women's roles became more dependent. According to the text, the "take-home" message of this finding is that

Recall that Zajonc and his colleagues (1969) employed the lowly cockroach in their studies of social facilitation. In the presence of other cockroaches, roaches would run faster down a straightaway to escape a bright light than they would alone, but took longer in the presence of a cockroach audience when the escape route was more complicated (i.e., when they had to run a maze). These findings support the idea that

Complete the following analogy regarding social facilitation. Better: ________ :: worse: ________.

When people or roaches undertake a difficult task, the presence of others ________ performance; when they undertake a simple task, the presence of others ________ performance.

According to the authors of your text, which of the following factors can help to predict how likely a person is to social loaf?

When your roommate enters the room while you're typing an email, it can make you uncomfortable. The roommate isn't judging you, but you may still feel uncomfortable, according to Zajonc, because the roommate's mere presence is

Two different interpretations have been proposed to explain group polarization. The persuasive arguments interpretation is to ________ as the social comparison interpretation is to ________.

According to Robert Zajonc's (1969, 1980) social facilitation theory, would you play pool better alone, or when others are observing you? Explain your answer.

Your roommate really detests studying in a quiet solitary space. Based on research presented in this chapter , what would you recommend your roommate do while studying for a difficult exam?

Which of the following statements is true? Deindividuation

One reason why the presence of others is arousing is that it can be ________, which is a very cognitive explanation as to why people tend to perform worse at more difficult tasks in the presence of others.

Members of the school board were tentatively considering a proposal to institute the wearing of uniforms in the elementary and middle school grades. After their last meeting, they are now strongly in favor of the proposal. This illustrates the phenomenon known as

The authors of your text cite the strategic disaster of the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as an example of

You have been asked to organize a problem-solving meeting. Based on what you learned in social psychology, which of the following is not a good way to make sure unique information gets shared at the meeting?

Compare and contrast deindividuation and social loafing.

In Chapter 9, the authors describe decisions made as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This example illustrates that

One reason why people may engage in social loafing in groups is that they feel