Deck 8: Group Processes

Question 1

Conformity occurs when

A) people influence each other.
B) people mimic each other.
C) people change their behavior to fit that of other people in their group.
D) people adhere to conventions of a society, such as wearing clothes.

Answer 1

people change their behavior to fit that of other people in their group.

Question 2

What would be an accurate prediction for the social brain hypothesis?

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.

Answer 2

Human beings were not capable of complex social behavior prior to the evolutionary development of certain brain structures.

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

expressive.

Question 4

A group that came into existence as part of the organization's structure is called

A) an informal group.
B) a friendly group.
C) a command group.
D) a composite group of people.

Question 5

What does the term "group" mean?

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 6

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 7

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.

Question 8

A decrease in overall job performance within a 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 seems to have a defined instrumental role in the group.

Question 9

According to Pelto (1968), which of the following cultures has strong norms and little tolerance for behaviors that deviate from the norm?

A) Loose
B) Individualistic
C) Restrictive
D) Tight

Question 10

_______ leads to a change in belief or behavior as a result of group pressure.

A) Cohesiveness
B) Compliance
C) Conformity
D) Obedience

Question 11

Roles can be defined as

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.

Question 12

)Conformity is highest when the response of a person is ________and ________.

A) nonverbal; made in response to inanimate objects
B) public; made without prior commitment
C) insignificant; made with prior commitment

Question 13

Social pressure that may lead a person to perform immoral acts is best demonstrated by studies of

A) psychological reactance.
B) self-concept.
C) informational influence.
D) obedience to authority.

Question 14

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

Question 15

Compared to North American and European cultures, Asian cultures teach their children

A) freedom.
B) collectivism.
C) to respect each other's privacy.
D) to follow their instincts.

Question 16

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 17

According to _______ an important part of people's self-worth is derived from group membership.

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

Question 18

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 19

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

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

Question 20

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 21

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 22

Your psychology professor calls your name in the class and asks you to answer the 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 23

In Zajonc's model of 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 24

Vladimir, a basketball novice, makes about 60% of his free throws when practicing alone. However, when playing with his friends, he makes about 80% of his free throws. This increase is most likely the result of

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

Question 25

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) transactive memory.

Question 26

Carry would like to participate in the interschool drama competition. She has been taking dance lessons for years and is a spectacular dancer, but does not have any experience as a singer. The teacher decides to give her a part where she has to dance and sing. According to the theory of social facilitation, how will the presence of an audience affect Carry's performance in the drama?

A) Carry's singing will improve, but her dancing will be flawed.
B) Carry's both singing and dancing will be enhanced.
C) Carry's singing and dancing will be flawed.
D) Carry's dancing will improve, but her singing will be flawed.

Question 27

Back in 1898 Triplett 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 in a pair rather than alone.
D) the children were faster working alone than with a partner.

Question 28

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 29

_______ is the form of social influence that does not necessarily involve an active group.

A) Group polarization
B) Social loafing
C) Groupthink
D) Social facilitation

Question 30

According to 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 United States
C) A group of strangers in China
D) A group of strangers in the United States

Question 31

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 32

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 as a whole 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 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

Zajonc's 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 attentional processes.

Question 35

Ringelmann's (1913) research demonstrates 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 36

What are the three steps that determine the influence of the presence of others on performance?

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 37

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 of the following explanations of social facilitation?

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

Question 38

Karen is in a work group that has brought high-speed Internet to low-income neighborhoods. 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 39

_______ theory predicts that when we work in front of the others, person's concern over what others will think can enhance or impair the overall performance.

A) Mere presence
B) Evaluation apprehension
C) Distraction-conflict
D) Process loss

Question 40

_______ is the tendency for the presence of other people to increase performance on easy tasks and impair performance on difficult tasks.

A) Social loafing
B) Social facilitation
C) Group polarization
D) Groupthink

Question 41

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 people wear 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 42

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 of the following statements 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 43

Tim cyber bullies his neighbors, and his behavior is often disgraceful. Which of the following group dynamics does his behavior demonstrate?

A) Deindividuation
B) Group polarization
C) Social facilitation
D) Bystander effect

Question 44

Deindividuation can be defined as

A) loss of self-awareness in groups.
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

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

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

Question 46

In which of the following scenarios would social loafing least likely occur?

A) In a boy's club trying to earn money by holding a cooking session
B) In a relay race where each participant's performance is timed
C) In a community garden where each resident is expected to contribute during free time
D) In a work crew building a new house

Question 47

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 48

To an extent experiments demonstrates that people in groups loaf less when

A) they have a strong external control.
B) the task is challenging and interesting.
C) they are in a bizarre setting.
D) the task is part of the routine.

Question 49

Henderson suspects that the other team members may slack off, so he works late to put in extra time on their proposal. Henderson is engaging in

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

Question 50

At crowded parties, Amy 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 51

Collective effort model says, social loafing is least likely to occur 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 52

Deindividuation can be best understood 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 53

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 54

____is the process by which the presence of others causes people to lose their identity.

A) Social facilitation
B) The bystander effect
C) Social loafing
D) Deindividuation

Question 55

The fact that many assaults are committed by people in disguise-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 56

Which of the following processes elucidates both deindividuation and social loafing?

A) Group polarization
B) Self-censorship
C) Diffusion of responsibility
D) Minority influence

Question 57

Ingham and colleagues (1974) asked participants to pull on a rope and found that participants pulled almost 20% 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 58

Johnson and Downing (1979) found that participants dressed as a nurse delivered lower levels of shock anonymously than when they were identifiable. This finding exhibits 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 59

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

A) when working collectively.
B) when tasks are difficult.
C) in groups with a majority of female members.
D) when task orientation is high.

Question 60

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 61

____________ decision making is an organized, exacting, data-driven process.

A) Systematic
B) Programmed
C) Intuitive
D) Non programmed

Question 62

Electronic brainstorming may be more effective in generating ideas 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 63

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 64

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 65

According to the social identity theory, what determines conformity?

A) Identification with the outgroup.
B) Informational influence.
C) Whether a person internalizes group participations as part of their self-concept.
D) Normative influence.

Question 66

The following statements about brainstorming are true except:

A) No criticism is allowed in brainstorming.
B) All participants in brainstorming should be given a chance to contribute to the process.
C) Brainstorming is an open game without rules.
D) Brainstorming is often used for creative problem solving.

Question 67

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 68

Osborn's rules for 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 69

_______ is an increase in group performance such that the group outperforms the individuals who comprise the group.

A) Process loss
B) Process gain
C) Escalation
D) Polarization

Question 70

After a soccer game in which the home team loses, a crowd of fans begins to tear up the field. This behavior shows

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

Question 71

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 72

Research on brainstorming in groups demonstrates that

A) people brainstorming together produce fewer and less effective 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 73

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

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

Question 74

Faros and his coworkers are trying to develop a creative direct mail campaign that will increase sales of their new snowboard. Which of the following strategies 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 75

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 76

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 77

All of the following demonstrate the reduction in the effectiveness of group brainstorming except

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

Question 78

_______ is the tendency whereby groups make the extremist decisions than the individuals' opinions within the group.

A) Group polarization
B) Group cohesion
C) Group deindividuation
D) Groupthink

Question 79

The phenomenon attached to polarized group decisions is called

A) risky shift.
B) cohesiveness.
C) conformity.
D) groupthink.

Question 80

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.