Deck 8: Group Processes

Question 1

In her group,Melanie is always the one who breaks the tension with a funny story and provides a shoulder to cry on when things go wrong.She can be described as playing a(n)______________role.

A)expressive
B)facilitator
C)instrumental
D)normative role

Answer 1

expressive

Question 2

Which of the following is true of groups?

A)Groups can be very different from the sum of their parts.
B)Groups make better decisions than individuals.
C)People work harder in groups than they do alone.
D)Discussion moderates group opinions.

Answer 2

Groups can be very different from the sum of their parts.

Question 3

Roles are

A)the rules of conduct for group members.
B)dissimilar to norms in that only roles can be formal or informal.
C)similar to norms in that both must be present for group cohesiveness.
D)beneficial to a group if they are clear,but can create stress if they are unclear.

Answer 3

beneficial to a group if they are clear,but can create stress if they are unclear.

Question 4

Groups include all of the following essential components except

A)roles.
B)norms.
C)cohesiveness.
D)status.

Question 5

The idea that a species' brain size is related to the social complexity of their environment is called the

A)social identity hypothesis.
B)social brain hypothesis.
C)collective effort model.
D)sensitivity norm.

Question 6

Which of the following would most likely be described as a collective?

A)students in a small,discussion-focused seminar
B)members of a sports team
C)passengers on a plane
D)a boy scout troop

Question 7

A group is defined as

A)a set of individuals who interact over time and have shared fate,goals,or identity.
B)a set of rigid boundaries and norms.
C)people engaged in a common activity with or without direct interaction.
D)a social category.

Question 8

In a 2015 study conducted by Uz,which country was found to be the "loosest?"

A)Luxembourg
B)The Netherlands
C)Belgium
D)France

Question 9

An important part of people's self-worth is derived from group membership,according to

A)social identity theory.
B)the social brain hypothesis.
C)the escalation effect.
D)group support systems.

Question 10

People join groups for all of the following reasons except to

A)help gain a sense of personal and social identity.
B)fulfill the innate need to belong.
C)reduce super ordinate identities.
D)facilitate survival and reproduction.

Question 11

A leader who focuses his or her group on the task(s)it needs to achieve is best described as playing a(n)______________role.

A)facilitator
B)instrumental
C)normative
D)expressive

Question 12

The fact that members of an organization who blow the whistle on problematic practices are often treated harshly by the rest of the group illustrates the power of group

A)roles.
B)norms.
C)instrumentation.
D)development.

Question 13

Three people in the same place at the same time who are working on a common activity but not interacting with one another are best described as a

A)social group.
B)minimal group.
C)collective.
D)conjunctive group.

Question 14

Deborah has just joined a sorority at her school.She is unsure what she should wear when she goes to eat at the sorority's dining hall.Her concern reflects Deborah's uncertainty of the

A)informal role.
B)formal role.
C)informal norm.
D)formal norm.

Question 15

A role in a group that is focused on providing emotional support and maintaining group morale is considered

A)instrumental.
B)expressive.
C)formal.
D)informal.

Question 16

According to Pelt (1968),a(n)______________culture is one that has strong norms and little tolerance for behaviors that deviate from the norm.

A)loose
B)individualistic
C)restrictive
D)tight

Question 17

A decrease in overall job performance among a work team is least likely to occur in which scenario?

A)Daphne isn't quite sure what her role in the group is.
B)Fred must play both an instrumental and an expressive role in the group.
C)Velma's role in the group seems to be constantly changing.
D)Shaggy assumes a clearly defined instrumental role in the group.

Question 18

Groups differ from collectives in that

A)groups,but not collectives,engage in common activities.
B)collectives,but not groups,engage in common activities.
C)groups have more direct interaction with one another than collectives.
D)collectives have more direct interaction with one another than groups.

Question 19

Deviation from group norms is generally tolerated better if a group is seen as

A)homogeneous.
B)heterogeneous.
C)cohesive.
D)formal.

Question 20

According to the social brain hypothesis,what would be an accurate prediction?

A)The part of the brain that is stimulated by pleasure-enhancing drugs is equally stimulated by time spent with other people.
B)Human beings were not capable of complex social behavior prior to the evolutionary development of certain brain structures.
C)Antagonistic neurotransmitter release is heightened when we are around other people and suppressed when we are alone.
D)A species of gorillas where the members form a social community should have bigger brains than other gorillas whose members live independently of each other.

Question 21

Research concerning the relationship between group cohesiveness and performance suggests that

A)the two are only related when there is a strong leader present.
B)groups that perform well may develop stronger cohesiveness.
C)highly cohesive groups perform less well than less cohesive groups
D)the relationship is stronger in groups composed of men than groups of women.

Question 22

According to the theory of social facilitation,the presence of others should lead to all except which outcome?

A)improved performance on an easy task
B)physiological arousal
C)a dominant response
D)more carefully deliberated behavior

Question 23

According to the model of______________,when the presence of others is physiologically arousing,a person's performance tends to______________on a task that is difficult.

A)social loafing;decline
B)social loafing;improve
C)social facilitation;decline
D)social facilitation;improve

Question 24

According to Zajonc,social facilitation

A)occurs because of concerns about being evaluated by others.
B)results from the mere physical presence of others.
C)occurs in humans,but not in less intelligent animals.
D)can be explained by considering attention al processes.

Question 25

Better performance by an individual on difficult tasks in the presence of others can be encouraged the most when the individual's arousal level is______________and evaluation pressure on the individual is______________.

A)high;high
B)low;low
C)high;low
D)low;high

Question 26

Ringelmann's research in the 1880s demonstrated that

A)people exert less effort in simple group tasks than they would if working alone.
B)the presence of other people improves performance on simple group tasks.
C)groups tend to make more extreme decisions than individuals.
D)individual performance is impaired by the distraction of an audience.

Question 27

Zajonc's model for how the presence of others influences individual performance is known as social facilitation."Facilitation" refers to the fact that the presence of others facilitates a performer's

A)ability to focus on the task at hand.
B)task performance.
C)evaluation apprehension.
D)dominant response.

Question 28

Karen is in a work group in which everyone is excited about the job.They are bringing high-speed Internet to low- income neighborhoods,and every single coworker she has feels the task is exciting,inspirational,and world- changing.Karen's work group has high______________cohesion.

A)task
B)interpersonal
C)expressive
D)instrumental

Question 29

According to research by Nibbler and Harris (2003),which group is most likely to experience better performance when group members feel free to disagree with one another?

A)a group of friends in China
B)a group of friends in the U.S.
C)a group of strangers in China
D)a group of strangers in the U.S.

Question 30

Vladimir,a basketball novice,makes about 60 percent of his free throws when practicing alone.However,when playing with his friends,he only makes about 30 percent of his free throws.This decrease is most likely the result of

A)social facilitation.
B)deindividuation.
C)group polarization.
D)social security.

Question 31

Research by Zajonc's et al.(1969)in which cockroaches run in simple or complex mazes alone,in pairs,or with an audience provides support for which explanation of social facilitation?

A)the evaluation apprehension theory
B)the distraction-conflict theory
C)the persuasive arguments theory
D)the mere presence theory

Question 32

The facilitation of the dominant response from increased arousal will tend to

A)make familiar tasks easier but unfamiliar tasks more challenging.
B)make both easy and difficult tasks easier.
C)have no effect on easy tasks,but will make difficult tasks more challenging.
D)have no effect on challenging tasks,but will make easy tasks easier.

Question 33

Cohesion does seem to exert a causal effect on group performance.Whether this effect occurs depends upon all except which of the following?

A)group size
B)whether it is task or interpersonal cohesion
C)the nature of the group task
D)the extent to which group members are paid the same salary

Question 34

A person who experiences social facilitation effects because he is worried about being judged is illustrating the hypothesis.

A)mere presence
B)evaluation apprehension
C)distraction-conflict
D)process loss

Question 35

In one of the earliest social psychological experiments,Triplett (1898)had children wind fishing reels as quickly as they could.He found that

A)the children were fastest when observed by the experimenter.
B)winding times were faster without an audience than with an audience.
C)the children were faster when working next to another child rather than alone.
D)the children were faster working alone than with a partner.

Question 36

Your psychology professor calls you in front of the class and asks you to answer practice exam questions in front of everyone.You find the questions to be easy.According to the model of social________________________________________________________ ,you should perform________________________________________________________than you would if you had worked on the questions alone.

A)loafing;better
B)loafing;worse
C)facilitation;better
D)facilitation;worse

Question 37

According to Zajonc's model of social facilitation,the three steps in determining the influence of the presence of others on performance are

A)arousal,dominant response,and task difficulty.
B)relaxation,elimination of apprehension,and task difficulty.
C)construal,arousal,and attribution.
D)social comparison,attribution,and justification.

Question 38

All of the following accounts have been proposed to explain social facilitation except

A)the mere presence of others.
B)apprehension about being evaluated.
C)distraction,which can create attention al conflict.
D)a tendency for people to feel less accountable in a group context.

Question 39

The tendency for the presence of other people to increase performance on easy tasks and impair performance on difficult tasks is known as

A)social loafing.
B)social facilitation.
C)group polarization.
D)groupthink.

Question 40

The theory that being with others will produce social facilitation effects only when those others take one's attention away from the task at hand is known as the

A)mere presence theory.
B)evaluation apprehension theory.
C)distraction-conflict theory.
D)the trans active memory hypothesis.

Question 41

Mr.Belding notices that his students seem to put more effort into their individual assignments than into their group projects.This is most likely the result of

A)social loafing.
B)group facilitation.
C)groupthink.
D)group polarization.

Question 42

Henderson suspects that the other members of his work group may slack off,so he works late and puts in extra time on their proposal.Henderson is engaging in

A)social compensation.
B)social facilitation.
C)social loafing.
D)deindividuation.

Question 43

Harriett goes trick-or-treating on Halloween.She arrives at her neighbor's door just as the phone is ringing.Her neighbor puts the candy on the table and says,"I need to get the phone,so help yourself to whatever kind of candy you want,but please take only one piece." Which of the following would most encourage Harriett to take only one piece of candy?

A)if Harriet's costume prevented the neighbor from recognizing her
B)if Harriett was dressed up as a pirate
C)if the candy was placed in front of a mirror
D)if Harriett was high in need for cognition

Question 44

Deindividuation refers to the

A)loss of individuality and reduction of normal constraints against deviant behavior.
B)decrease in individual effort on simple group tasks.
C)tendency for group decisions to be more extreme than individual decisions.
D)impairment in group decision making that results from a concern with unanimity.

Question 45

Ingham and colleagues (1974)asked participants to pull on a rope and found that participants pulled almost 20 percent harder when they thought they were pulling alone than when they thought they were part of a group.This finding best illustrates

A)social loafing.
B)a social dilemma.
C)groupthink.
D)social facilitation.

Question 46

Attentional cues that decrease self-awareness should increase

A)deindividuated behavior.
B)social facilitation on an easy task.
C)cooperation in a prisoner's dilemma.
D)groupthink in a decision-making process.

Question 47

Johnson and Downing (1979)found that participants wearing nurses' uniforms delivered lower levels of shock when they were anonymous than when they were identifiable.This finding suggests that deindividuation causes people to

A)feel that the normative standards of the group do not apply to them.
B)engage in destructive behavior when they are anonymous.
C)rely more heavily on personal standards of behavior when they are anonymous.
D)act in ways that are consistent with the norms of the most salient group.

Question 48

Which conditions makes social loafing more likely to occur?

A)Peer evaluations are used.
B)The task is large and complex.
C)The group in question is small.
D)The task is small in scope.

Question 49

At crowded parties,Amy loses her sense of self and,as a result,often behaves in ways that she later regrets.These parties seem to create in Amy a state of

A)deindividuation.
B)cohesiveness.
C)groupthink.
D)entrapment.

Question 50

Sheila and Peter are invited to a masquerade party.At the party,people start insulting and pushing around Parker,another guest at the party.Given the research on deindividuation,which statement is most likely to be false?

A)If Sheila was dressed as a nun and Peter was dressed as a priest,their costumes would decrease the likelihood that they would behave aggressively toward Parker.
B)If there was a loud band playing that made the floor shake,Sheila and Peter would be more likely to behave aggressively toward Parker.
C)If Sheila and Peter were dressed in costumes in which they could not be recognized,Peter would likely behave more aggressively toward Parker than would Sheila.
D)If Sheila and Peter believed that at the end of the party all the guests would have to reveal their true identities,they would be less likely to behave aggressively toward Parker.

Question 51

Aggarwal and O'Brien (2008)studied hundreds of college students and identified several keys to reducing social loafing.All of the following are examples of the strategies they suggest except

A)breaking down complex projects into smaller components.
B)keeping groups small.
C)selecting group members low in achievement motivation.
D)using peer evaluations.

Question 52

Esteban's work group has been assigned a new project by management.Before deciding how much effort to exert on this new assignment,Esteban considers how important the group goals are to him and whether his input will help the group reach its goals.Esteban's thinking is most consistent with

A)distraction-conflict theory.
B)the collective effort model.
C)the social identity model of deindividuation.
D)persuasive arguments theory.

Question 53

Research suggests that a______________would be most likely to engage in social loafing.

A)woman from a collectivist culture
B)man from a collectivist culture
C)woman from an individualistic culture
D)man from an individualistic culture

Question 54

All of the following factors have been suggested to contribute to deindividuation except

A)the presence of others.
B)reduced feelings of responsibility.
C)low arousal.
D)anonymity.

Question 55

Tommy needs to get his subordinates to all invest considerable time and energy into the development of a new design for the company's fall clothing line.If he wants to reduce the likelihood of social loafing,he should

A)bring together a large group of diverse individuals.
B)keep the task big and inspirational rather than breaking it into parts.
C)make sure that people contribute anonymously to reduce evaluation apprehension.
D)allow the group members to evaluate each other's contributions.

Question 56

Deindividuation is more likely when

A)accountability for behavior is high.
B)accountability for behavior is low.
C)the group is engaged in a conjunctive task.
D)the group is engaged in a disjunctive task.

Question 57

Individuals from collectivist cultures are more likely to engage in social loafing

A)when a group norm of low effort has already been established.
B)when tasks are difficult.
C)in groups with a majority of female members.
D)when task orientation is high.

Question 58

According to the collective effort model,social loafing is least likely when people

A)see the group outcome as personally important.
B)believe the group outcome is important to other group members.
C)believe that their efforts will lead to a personally important outcome.
D)are part of a group with a high level of cohesiveness.

Question 59

It seems that every Halloween night in Gotham is marred by violence and vandalism.In order to reduce the likelihood of such behavior,the leaders of Gotham should

A)increase self-awareness by making sure everyone who goes out wears a name tag.
B)increase anonymity by making sure that everyone who goes out wears a mask.
C)make sure that people only venture outside in groups.
D)create a highly stimulating environment by playing loud Halloween music.

Question 60

The fact that many assaults are committed by people wearing disguises-and that these disguised assaults are often the most vicious ones-illustrates the concept of

A)social loafing.
B)entrapment.
C)deindividuation.
D)distraction-conflict.

Question 61

Groups tend to outperform individuals on

A)additive tasks,but not conjunctive tasks.
B)disjunctive tasks,but not conjunctive tasks.
C)conjunctive tasks,but not additive tasks.
D)additive,conjunctive,and disjunctive tasks.

Question 62

Sam,Diane,and Frasier are members of a team competing in a test of general knowledge.Any team member can answer the moderator's questions.The team's task can be described as

A)additive.
B)conjunctive.
C)disjunctive.
D)collective.

Question 63

An increase in group performance such that the group outperforms the individuals who comprise the group is called

A)process loss.
B)process gain.
C)escalation.
D)polarization.

Question 64

Electronic brainstorming may be more effective than face-to-face group brainstorming because it

A)enhances production blocking.
B)inhibits free riding.
C)promotes performance matching.
D)increases personal accountability.

Question 65

A group of students is discussing whether same-sex marriage should be legal.The students begin the discussion with opinions that are somewhat in favor of same-sex marriage being legal.If group polarization occurs,

A)students will be more strongly supportive of same-sex marriage after the discussion.
B)students will be more strongly opposed to same-sex marriage after the discussion.
C)students' attitudes will not change as a result of the discussion.
D)a great deal of disagreement and conflict will occur during the discussion.

Question 66

Research on brainstorming in groups demonstrates that

A)people brainstorming together produce fewer and lower-quality ideas than those brainstorming individually.
B)people believe that the ideas generated in group brainstorming sessions are not as good as those generated by individuals.
C)group brainstorming can be enhanced by production blocking.
D)people feel more comfortable expressing unusual ideas in group brainstorming sessions.

Question 67

Before the meeting,each of several city council members was tentatively considering an air pollution ordinance. After the meeting,they expressed strong support of the ordinance.This outcome is an example of

A)group polarization.
B)social loafing.
C)a social dilemma.
D)social facilitation.

Question 68

In track and field,a relay team is only as strong and successful as its slowest runner.A relay race is therefore an example of a(n)______________task.

A)inductive
B)divergent
C)conjunctive
D)convergent

Question 69

Brainstorming is an example of a(n)______________task because the contribution of all members is important for a final product.

A)additive
B)conjunctive
C)disjunctive
D)unitary

Question 70

Faros and his coworkers are trying to develop a creative direct mail campaign that will increase sales of their new snowboard.Which strategy is least likely to yield high-quality ideas?

A)Hold a brainstorming session with a facilitator trained in group brainstorming.
B)Form an interactive group employing electronic brainstorming.
C)Hold a brainstorming session using Osborn's ground rules for brainstorming.
D)Create "nominal groups" and work independently.

Question 71

In many anonymous online communities,______________accountability is______________and attention cues are______________.

A)low;low
B)low;high
C)high;low
D)high;high

Question 72

The tendency for groups to become more extreme in their positions following discussion is called

A)group polarization.
B)social loafing.
C)a social dilemma.
D)social facilitation.

Question 73

Tendencies such as the need to coordinate the activities of members that interfere with a group's ability to live up to its full potential are examples of

A)disjunctive tasks.
B)process loss.
C)sample biases.
D)non additive effects.

Question 74

A task in which the group's performance is determined by the best group member is considered

A)additive.
B)conjunctive.
C)disjunctive.
D)divisible.

Question 75

In conjunctive tasks,group performance is determined by the

A)sum of the performance of each individual in the group.
B)ratio of individual performance to group performance.
C)performance of the group member with the poorest performance.
D)performance of the group member with the strongest performance.

Question 76

When a task can be divided so various subgroups can work on different aspects of it,and the task has a solution in which the correct answer is immediately evident when presented to the group,the group is likely to experience

A)process loss.
B)synergy.
C)escalation.
D)group support..

Question 77

According to the______________,whether deindividuation affects people for better or for worse depends on a group's characteristics and norms as well as the group's power to act according to those norms.

A)process loss model
B)social identity model of deindividuation effects
C)emotional reciprocation model
D)conflict-distraction model of deindividuation

Question 78

Following group discussion,group decisions tend to______________the positions of the individuals comprising the group.

A)be more conservative than
B)be riskier than
C)reflect the average of
D)be more extreme than

Question 79

Research on brainstorming suggests that it

A)is typically an effective practice,even though people often dislike doing it.
B)is typically an ineffective practice,even though people often enjoy doing it.
C)works better among very large groups than among smaller groups.
D)works better for disjunctive tasks than for conjunctive tasks.

Question 80

All of the following appear to reduce the effectiveness of group brainstorming except

A)production blocking.
B)social compensation.
C)evaluation apprehension.
D)performance matching.