Group Behavior Chapter 9

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Group Behavior Chapter 9
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Announcements!

• Exam 1 is Tues. Sept. 18th!
• Covers chapters 1, 2, 8, 9
• Pick up study guide/review questions at end of
  class today
• Do NOT be late for the exam and bring a 2 pencil
• Questions? Elizabeth will hold a review session
  Mon. Sept. 17th at 710pm in UH 4480.

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Why do people sometimes behave in groups in ways
they wouldnt behave if alone?

• Gustave LeBon (1896). The Crowd.
• Individuals in crowds adopt a group mind
• The group mind is totally emotional and irrational

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Why do people sometimes behave in groups in ways
they wouldnt behave if alone?

• New theories developed in the 1960s
• No unanimity in crowd behavior/ no collective
  group mind
• What is it about being in a crowd that may lead
  us to behave differently?

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Why do people sometimes behave differently in
groups?

• Deindividuation a loss of personal
  responsibility that occurs in group situations
  that foster anonymity
• Trick or Treat Studies
• Kids in group took more candy
• If asked name or mirror present, took less
• 10 year old car study
• White Hoods Study

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Does deindividuation always lead to negative
behavior?

• Nurses uniform study
• Conclusion? Deindividuation causes us to be less
  self-conscious (or less self-aware) and more
  responsive to cues in the situation.
• How to reduce it? Make people identifiable or
  self-aware

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How do groups make decisions? How good are those
decisions?

• Peter is an earnest young state representative
  who would like to run for governor of his state.
  He has a good reputation of being a conscientious
  leader and several important legislators have
  pledged to support him if he runs. However, his
  opponent is the incumbent governor, who has a
  well-organized political machine behind him, so
  it would not be an easy campaign. Peter should
  run for office only if his chances of winning
  are
• ___ 10 ____ 40 ____ 70___ 100
• ___ 20 ____ 50 ____ 80
• ___ 30 ____ 60 ____ 90

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How do groups make decisions?

• Risky shift tendency for groups to make riskier
  decisions than individuals

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How do groups make decisions?

• Roger, who has two kids and a low-paying job,
  just heard that the stock of an unknown company
  may soon triple if its new product is received
  favorably. Of course, the stock may decline if
  the product flops. Roger should sell his life
  insurance policy to invest in the company only if
  the chances of the stock doing well are
• ___ 10 ____ 40 ____ 70 ___ 100
• ___ 20 ____ 50 ____ 80
• ___ 30 ____ 60 ____ 90

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How do groups make decisions?

• Conservative shift tendency for groups to make
  more cautious decisions than individuals

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Reconciling Risky Shift and Conservative Shift

• The resolution?
• Depends on individuals initial leanings prior to
  group discussion
• Group polarization When group discussion
  strengthens individuals pre-existing tendencies

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Why can group discussion lead to more extreme
judgments?

• Informational Influence
• Group discussion (usually) produces more ideas in
  favor of the dominant viewpoint than any one
  individual would think of themselves.
• Normative Influence
• we may express stronger opinions after
  discovering that others share our views so that
  others will accept us

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Conclusions

• Groups are not always bad
• Purpose is to highlight how and when group
  behavior can go wrong so we can work to limit
  negative group behavior