Deck 8: People in Groups

Question 1

Expanding on Triplett's finding, Allport argued that social facilitation of performance could be due to:

A) entitativity, and instinct.
B) common bond and common identity.
C) stoked and focused members.
D) mere presence and audience effects.

Answer 1

mere presence and audience effects.

Question 2

Triplett carried out an early study of competition in children. He found that:

A) more children performed more quickly in pairs than alone.
B) the children were nervous when a supervisor was present.
C) many children were indifferent to the presence of adults when performing.
D) the children learned a new task faster when alone than when distracted by others.

Answer 2

more children performed more quickly in pairs than alone.

Question 3

In the presence of others, people will improve their performance on routine tasks and deteriorate on unusual or difficult tasks. This is called:

A) social facilitation
B) evaluation apprehension
C) mere presence
D) competition

Answer 3

social facilitation

Question 4

Which of the following is the best example of a group?

A) Four people waiting on the 'Walk' light
B) Four people standing in line at the ATM
C) Four people boarding a plane
D) Four people playing a song

Question 5

A collection of individuals would actually be a social group if:

A) individuals strive for their own personal goals.
B) there is interaction amongst individuals.
C) they act independently from each other.
D) they share the same goal in life.

Question 6

The term 'entitativity' refers to:

A) the effect of the presence of others on group members.
B) the relationship between two distinct groups.
C) a measure of the extent to which a group appears as coherent or distinct.
D) a group dimension of connectedness between group members.

Question 7

According to the drive theory of social facilitation:

A) arousal is a learned response to the presence of others.
B) there is a decrease of arousal in the presence of others.
C) both social inhibition as well as social facilitation can occur, depending on which response is dominant.
D) an increase of arousal leads to social facilitation if the dominant response is incorrect.

Question 8

Enyi is a brilliant cellist and tonight she is playing at a concert. According to the distraction/conflict theory, she will:

A) experience attentional conflict.
B) worry about being distracted and make errors.
C) wonder what the audience thinks of her.
D) compare her playing with other cellists.

Question 9

The ________ view claims that people in groups are influenced by unique social processes. In contrast, the ________ view maintains that people in groups act similarly as when they are in pairs, or even alone.

A) category; exemplar
B) collectivist; individualist
C) social; individualist
D) social; clinical

Question 10

According to Zajonc's drive theory of social facilitation:

A) social facilitation follows a correct dominant response.
B) social inhibition occurs when a correct dominant response.
C) the presence of others produces decreasing performance.
D) dominant responses preclude arousal to produce correct results.

Question 11

Bill sees some people stopped on the street staring at the top of a building. He would not think of them as a group as such because they are probably a(n):

A) entitativity.
B) collective.
C) category.
D) aggregate.

Question 12

An 'audience effect' is:

A) the impact of the presence of others on an individual's performance.
B) the way dominant responses drive behaviour.
C) what happens when individuals enhance their output.
D) an inhibitory process preventing the group to continue.

Question 13

If we use a drive theory explanation of social facilitation we would argue that:

A) group membership can improve or distract performance.
B) membership goals will impair or distract performance.
C) group tasks will improve and enhance performance.
D) social presence can impair or improve performance.

Question 14

Young Jemima has just started singing lessons. According to social facilitation studies, her singing is probably better at this stage when she sings:

A) in a solo at the school concert.
B) when she is alone.
C) at a family gathering.
D) on the bus.

Question 15

Roger is a world-class tennis player. But he really lifts his game when playing:

A) his girlfriend.
B) at his home club.
C) his buddy.
D) at Wimbledon.

Question 16

In an experiment on the effect of social presence, Markus (1978) found that participants:

A) dressed more slowly in unfamiliar clothing when someone else was present.
B) dressed even more slowly in unfamiliar clothing when someone else was present and having a look.
C) had more trouble putting their pants on than their shirts.
D) dressed slower in familiar clothing when the audience was attentive.

Question 17

'Mere presence' and the 'audience effect' are both terms relating to:

A) group norms.
B) the conformity bias.
C) social facilitation.
D) group think.

Question 18

According to Johnson and Johnson (1987), which one is NOT true of social groups?

A) Members influence each other
B) Members happen to be together
C) Members believe that they belong to a group
D) Members interact with each other

Question 19

According to Cottrell's (1972) evaluation apprehension model, people act differently when others are close by because they are:

A) distracted by the purpose of the task.
B) affected by the mere presence of others.
C) concerned about what these others might think.
D) aware of social comparisons.

Question 20

________ believe that people in groups behave in much the same way as they do by themselves, and that group processes are really nothing more than interpersonal processes between multiple people, whereas ________ believe that the behaviour of people in groups is influenced by unique social processes and cognitive representations that can only occur in and emerge from groups.

A) Individualists; collectivists
B) Collectivists; individualists
C) Social psychologists; cognitive psychologists
D) Psychoanalysts; clinical psychologists

Question 21

According to Steiner's taxonomy of group tasks, a disjunctive task is one where:

A) individual inputs are averaged to a get a group output.
B) the group output is determined by the least able member.
C) a group selects one individual's input as its product.
D) there is a division of labour in getting the task done.

Question 22

A drop in individual effort on a task as the number of people working together on the task increases can be explained by:

A) coordination loss and motivation gain.
B) motivation loss and coordination gain.
C) coordination loss and motivation loss.
D) coordination gain and motivation gain.

Question 23

Evaluation apprehension, matching to standard and output equity are terms relating to:

A) the social facilitation theory of social psychology and group maintenance.
B) the group dynamics theory of collectivist societies versus individualistic societies.
C) explanations of why individual productivity can drop when working in a group.
D) findings of the distraction-conflict theory studies discovered during the 1990 experiments.

Question 24

With reference to group tasks, Steiner argues that the group output is always less than the group's potential due to:

A) a process loss.
B) less than optimal leadership.
C) intergroup conflict.
D) group conflict.

Question 25

Interestingly, a theory that deals with how one perceives oneself can be applied to account for social facilitation. This theory is based on:

A) self-enhancement.
B) self-denial.
C) self-awareness.
D) self-identity.

Question 26

Sandra wasn't able to land her jump during practice, but she knew she would land it during the show. When it came time for the jump during the show, Sandra completed a perfect jump. This is an example of:

A) that jumps are performed better during a show.
B) the attentional consequences of social presence.
C) self-awareness theory.
D) group conformity.

Question 27

The construction and assembly of a shiny black Porsche convertible, according to Steiner's taxonomy, would be the outcome of a(n):

A) unitary task.
B) divisible task.
C) discretionary task.
D) maximising task.

Question 28

Ebenezer is self-employed, lives in his mother's house, and somehow manages to avoid paying any form of tax. He swans off for summer holidays in the national parks, uses public toilets (but only the free ones), and has even managed to obtain free medical insurance. Ebenezer is a(n):

A) self-monitor.
B) compensator.
C) free rider.
D) easy rider.

Question 29

One study that measured the amount of force used in a tug-of-war identified which example of social loafing?

A) free-rider effect.
B) social compensation effect.
C) the Ringelmann effect.
D) the Steiner effect.

Question 30

Becoming more aware of oneself can occur by:

A) measuring goals.
B) picturing their success.
C) evaluate experiences.
D) looking in a mirror.

Question 31

Suppose that, in an exercise, your psychology class had to think of as many household items as they could that started with the letter 'W'. One half of the class worked as individuals and the other half as an interacting group. If the group output was poorer than the sum of the individuals, you would have a fairly clear example of:

A) a task taxonomy.
B) social loafing.
C) a divisible task.
D) coordination loss.

Question 32

The main difference between social 'loafing' and 'free-riding' is that:

A) although loafers reduce effort on a co-active task, they still contribute to the group product; whereas free riders exploit the group product while contributing nothing.
B) although free riders reduce effort on a co-active task, they still contribute to the group product; whereas loafers exploit the group product while contributing nothing.
C) although loafers increase effort on a co-active task, they do not contribute to the group product; whereas free riders assist the group product and contribute a great deal.
D) free riders increase effort on a task with no expectation of receiving a reward, whereas loafers do not assist with the task and expect all the benefits.

Question 33

While studying human efficiency using a rope and a dynamometer, Ringelmann found that:

A) people got annoyed because Ringelmann was a social loafer.
B) the dynamometer broke when eight people were pulling the rope.
C) each person pulled a little less as others joined in.
D) each person pulled a little more as others joined in.

Question 34

Distraction-conflict theory has had some success in accounting for social facilitation because it:

A) helps explain data not well explained by the evaluation apprehension model.
B) correlates social facilitation and intelligence levels.
C) includes the effects of group membership on distracting events.
D) explains the causes of social facilitation.

Question 35

According to Steiner, a discretionary task is one that:

A) is not referred back to top management.
B) is carried out strictly in private.
C) causes the most process loss.
D) allows group members to decide individuals' inputs.

Question 36

In Steiner's taxonomy of group tasks, when comparing the performance of groups with that of individuals, an underlying question is:

A) How many tasks confront the group?
B) How is the group's product related to the members' inputs?
C) Is there a reward or punishment for each performance?
D) How many members will be involved in the task?

Question 37

Monique, Juliette and Harold want to hire a car during their overseas holiday. Monique argues for a campervan with a cooker, Juliette for a small cheap-to-run vehicle, and Harold for a station wagon with plenty of room for luggage. They finally agree on Harold's suggestion. The task of deciding on a suitable car was:

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

Question 38

Because there is a compulsory student union fee at her university, Linda decided not to be a financial member. However, she happily claims a discount on what she buys at the university bookshop, eats cheap meals at the student cafeteria and makes use of club room space. In social psychological terms, Linda is a:

A) beneficiary.
B) compensator.
C) delinquent.
D) free rider.

Question 39

Following Steiner's task taxonomy, a task whose success is determined by the performance of the weakest group member is a(n):

A) conjunctive task.
B) disjunctive task.
C) altruistic task.
D) cooperative task.

Question 40

Tim, Tam and Tom (known to all as the three Ts) beaver away in their separate work offices. Their boss has a brain wave: he puts the three Ts together for the first time to work on a project. To his surprise, their output drops dramatically. But all is not lost, because the boss has been reading social psychology! He knows that what he now needs to do is to:

A) offer the three Ts a large monetary bonus.
B) provide the three Ts with a clear performance standard.
C) replace all of the three Ts with other workers.
D) replace some of the three Ts with other workers.

Question 41

Attitudinal and behavioural uniformities that define group membership and differentiate between groups are called:

A) cognitive discontinuities.
B) norms.
C) initiation rites.
D) ethnographies.

Question 42

The advantage(s) of Hogg's (1993) model of personal versus social attraction over the traditional model is:

A) social attraction reduces group cohesiveness to interpersonal attraction.
B) it is as applicable to small interactive groups as to large-scale social categories.
C) the traditional model has no empirical support while social attraction has empirical support.
D) traditional models cannot explain group performance as accurately as social attraction.

Question 43

Group norms function to:

A) increase generalisations made about a group.
B) differentiate one's individuality from group mentality.
C) ignore a frame of reference.
D) coordinate actions to achieve common goal.

Question 44

Chandler is a new member of the drama society at University. However, all members must go through a mysterious initiation process before they can attain full member status, which Chandler has not yet completed. At the moment, Chandler is a ________ of the drama society.

A) non-member
B) full member
C) quasi-member
D) complete member

Question 45

The three basic processes involved in Moreland's group socialisation are:

A) evaluation, commitment and role transition.
B) assessment, commitment and group normalising.
C) evaluation, role transition and adjourning.
D) storming, norming and performing.

Question 46

The term 'group cohesiveness':

A) identifies the structure a group uses to perform various activities.
B) is a descriptive term for the group's activities they do outside of the group.
C) refers to a psychological process of individuals in relation to a group.
D) includes the underlying attributes of groups based on outgroup perception.

Question 47

In order to join the OLC (Oranges and Lemons Club) girls must undergo an embarrassing initiation rite that we had better not go into here. Despite this, successful members value becoming an OLC person, probably because they have experienced:

A) group prototypicality.
B) norm formation.
C) dissonance reduction.
D) group salience.

Question 48

Using groups of different sizes, Zaccaro (1984) asked the question: if you make a task more attractive will social loafing drop off? The answer is that:

A) whether a task is attractive or not is subjective.
B) social loafing occurs with both attractive and unattractive tasks.
C) social loafing is less of a problem when a task is made attractive.
D) group size is unrelated to social loafing.

Question 49

Differences between various groups are defined by:

A) normative discontinuities.
B) their members.
C) symbolic initiation rites.
D) roles.

Question 50

Which of the following group characteristics helps to reduce social loafing?

A) Shared norms
B) competition against outgroups
C) A rigid hierarchical structure
D) An implicit surveillance method

Question 51

A person's passage through groups over time has been described by Moreland and colleagues as:

A) role transition.
B) group socialisation.
C) role discontinuities.
D) biographical.

Question 52

From the following, the best way to reduce the possibility of social loafing would be to:

A) make the task important to the members of the group.
B) yell at the individual members of the group to work harder.
C) increase the number of group members.
D) tell the group you know they will succeed.

Question 53

According to Hogg (1993), when a group member's liking for another member is determined by how prototypical that person is with respect to the group, we have evidence of:

A) interdependence.
B) social attraction.
C) personal attraction.
D) group cohesiveness.

Question 54

A procedure to acknowledge a group member's change from one role to another is a(n):

A) group weaning.
B) initiation rite.
C) extreme form of trauma.
D) time of reminiscence.

Question 55

Group norms:

A) refer to generalisations that are shared about a group.
B) require obedience to restrictive group goals.
C) specifies behaviour that is acceptable in a certain context.
D) provide no value in measuring group membership.

Question 56

In Tuckman's (1965) five-stage developmental sequence that groups go through, which is the stage where consensus, cohesion and a sense of common identity and purpose emerge?

A) Storming
B) Performing
C) Adjourning
D) Norming

Question 57

In the interpersonal interdependence model of group cohesiveness, we would expect group members to:

A) perform tasks in a similar manner to decrease friction.
B) have similar hobbies but different interests.
C) understand the hierarchy of order within the group.
D) communicate well and adhere to group standards.

Question 58

In an important psychology group assignment, Connie works extra hard because she assumes that the other members in her group will not put in the necessary effort and she wants to get a good mark. Connie's effort is an example of:

A) the free-rider effect.
B) the martyr effect.
C) family ties.
D) social compensation.

Question 59

In Claire's family no one wears shoes in the house. Claire is curious why this is so and thought she might find out by means of ethnomethodology. Therefore she:

A) wore shoes at home.
B) asked her friends what happens in their homes.
C) asked her parents why and when they decided not to wear shoes at home.
D) observed what other families do at home.

Question 60

Alex and Lauren have been close friends since they were 6-years old. They are now part of rival pub trivia teams and their respective teams are competing against each other for the grand prize-a $50 bar tab. From this information, Alex has ________ for Lauren and ________ for her.

A) high personal attraction; low social attraction
B) high social attraction; low personal attraction
C) high personal attraction; high social attraction
D) low social attraction; low personal attraction

Question 61

Ted is a social psychologist in the Oxford department of psychology. Phillip is a social psychologist in the Stanford department of psychology. 'Social psychologist' is:

A) a cross-cutting category.
B) a prototype.
C) an outgroup.
D) a superordinate group.

Question 62

In social psychology, roles are:

A) clearly defined status relationships between members and non-members.
B) patterns of behaviour that distinguish between different activities within a group.
C) behavioural uniformities that define group membership and group structure.
D) dependent on the play that is being performed and the goal that is desired.

Question 63

In a now classic study by Zimbardo, students were divided into prisoners and guards. A central finding was that:

A) this experiment failed to mimic real life.
B) students in California turned out to be more callous than most.
C) students make effective guards but terrible prisoners.
D) roles can become internalised.

Question 64

Which of the following is a result of social ostracism?

A) Decreased self-awareness
B) Aggression
C) An attitude of resiliency
D) Asocial behaviour

Question 65

A set of rules governing the possibility or ease of communication between different roles in a group is referred to as:

A) a communication network.
B) a stereotype.
C) task allocation.
D) segregation.

Question 66

Social roles in a group:

A) reduce the need for the division of labour.
B) clarify relationships between members.
C) furnish members with self-fulfilment.
D) identify likeable and dislikeable members.

Question 67

Frank has just received a speeding ticket. His defence that he was running late did not impress the policeman, who said he had a job to do. Frank fumed, thinking that the cop was a 'right swine'. Frank's response is not uncommon, and is a case of:

A) correspondence bias.
B) social ostracism.
C) rebellion against the establishment.
D) group norms.

Question 68

After a lengthy break on maternal leave, Maria has joined a hand-weavers' guild. She feels that this has given her a social identity, because the club provides:

A) a form of re-birthing.
B) an escape from her housewife identity.
C) self-definition, and ways of relating to others.
D) a legitimate setting for socialising.

Question 69

The division of a group into different roles that often differ with respect to status and prestige is referred to as:

A) ethnomethodology.
B) group structure.
C) a norm.
D) stereotypical behaviour.

Question 70

When you get right down to it, social roles in a group are:

A) behavioural prescriptions.
B) actually the people.
C) intrinsically superficial in nature.
D) facilitate flow of information.

Question 71

For more complex tasks, it is known that less centralised communication networks:

A) confuse co-workers.
B) increase the chance of co-ordination loss.
C) usually lead to better group performance.
D) are called wheels.

Question 72

In small group communication research, groups with a main 'hub person':

A) are more suited for complex tasks.
B) are highly centralised.
C) are completely connected.
D) have connections among more than three members.

Question 73

The new fly-catching club elects Wilberforce, a hard-working but now retired sociology professor, as their first president. Marina, a sensible and experienced fly-catcher, who has always been unemployed, would have liked that job but knew that she had little chance. The members' decision was probably a case of:

A) groupthink on the election process.
B) Wilberforce's specific task relevant characteristics.
C) personal preference concerning the personalities of these two.
D) diffuse status characteristics being generalised to a specific task.

Question 74

According to Hogg and his colleagues, people join groups to:

A) achieve a level of safety and reduce fear of death.
B) portray a sense of normalcy as a disguise.
C) hide from a dangerous world.
D) achieve a level of consensual positive validation.

Question 75

Like his father Basil before him, Brian Fawlty owns a small hotel. When he smiles and suggests improvements for running the operation, his staff smile and agree. Clearly, Brian:

A) has high status.
B) is a charismatic leader.
C) got an A at management school.
D) is a better con artist than his father.

Question 76

Deviants and marginal members of a group are those that:

A) are highly prototypical core members of the group.
B) do not embody the group's attributes.
C) steal from members of other groups.
D) typically hold leadership positions.

Question 77

In their pioneering work on gangs in America, Sherif and Sherif (1964) observed that there were

A) harsh initiation rites.
B) no strict norms about sexual practices.
C) strict norms about dress codes.
D) new identities allocated within the gangs.

Question 78

According to terror management theory, people join groups to:

A) improve their management skills.
B) reduce the fear of death.
C) escape from a dangerous world.
D) secure safety in numbers.