Question 1

During the Cold War years,the collective Russian farms had spectacularly low yields,whereas small,private plots kept by Russian citizens had phenomenally high yields.One reason for the poor production output of large,collective Soviet farms is

Accepted Answer

Social loafing refers to the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working collectively in a group than when working individually. In the context of collective farms during the Cold War, this concept explains the low productivity as individuals may have felt less personally responsible for the output, leading to reduced effort compared to when they worked on their own small, private plots.

Question 2

Aspects of "real" groups include

Accepted Answer

Real groups have a defined structure and interdependence between the members. Therefore, they exhibit both group structure and interdependence. Option A (group structure) alone does not adequately capture the essential characteristic of real groups, and option B (ill-defined or no structure) is not applicable as real groups have a defined structure. Therefore, only option D (both A and C) can be considered as the best choice.

Question 3

Ringelmann (1913)proposed that social loafing could partly be a result of

Accepted Answer

Ringelmann proposed that social loafing occurs when members of a group reduce their effort due to a perceived decrease in personal accountability and a lack of coordination among group members. Therefore, choice B, reduced efficiency due to poor coordination among workers, is the best answer.

Question 4

One effective way to reduce social loafing is to

Accepted Answer

Giving the task special meaning can increase group members' motivation to put in effort, reducing the likelihood of social loafing.

Question 5

Lisa works on a team where all of the members are highly sociable.Her team should do particularly well on ________ tasks,but poorly on ________ tasks.

Accepted Answer

Teams with highly sociable members tend to excel in tasks that require interaction and communication, such as teaching. However, they might not perform as well in tasks that require a high level of concentration and individual focus, like accounting, which can be disrupted by social interactions.

Question 6

Social loafing is LESS likely to occur when

Accepted Answer

Social loafing occurs when individuals feel their contribution is not identifiable, so if each member's contribution is identifiable, it reduces the likelihood of social loafing. A is incorrect because individualistic culture can sometimes encourage more social loafing. B is incorrect because social loafing is more likely to occur in boring and unimportant tasks. D is incorrect because social loafing is less likely to occur when people know each other and feel a sense of accountability towards each other.

Question 7

Working in groups can increase overall effectiveness or productivity when

Accepted Answer

When it is possible to identify the contributions of each member of the group, it becomes easier to measure performance and assess individual contributions. This can increase motivation and accountability within the group, leading to overall increased effectiveness or productivity. Similar tasks and routine work may lead to boredom or lack of engagement, while social loafing (when individuals don't work as hard in a group as they would individually) can decrease productivity.

Question 8

Roles,status hierarchy,and a communication network are components of

Accepted Answer

Roles, status hierarchy, and a communication network are all components of group structure, which refers to the way a group is organized and functions. Group facilitation refers to the processes and techniques used to help a group achieve its goals, while group polarization refers to the tendency of group members to adopt more extreme views after group discussion. Group identity, on the other hand, refers to the sense of belonging and shared identity among group members.

Question 9

Social loafing is

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is a phenomenon where people tend to exert less effort when they feel their individual contributions are not critical to achieving a goal or result. This can happen when people are in a group or team because they feel their effort is not necessary for the group's success.

Question 10

Interdependence,group identity,and structured relations contribute to

Accepted Answer

Interdependence, group identity, and structured relations are factors that contribute to defining a collection of individuals as a group. These elements are necessary for group formation and dynamics. Social facilitation, minimal group effects, and group polarization are phenomena that occur within groups, but they do not necessarily contribute to defining a group.

Question 11

Whereas ________ are expectations for how all group members should behave,________ are expectations for how particular group members should behave.

Accepted Answer

Injunctive norms refer to the perceived rules of behavior within a group, indicating what members ought to do in various situations. Roles, on the other hand, are expectations about how specific individuals in particular positions within the group should behave, reflecting the division of responsibilities and behaviors among group members.

Question 12

The text lists all of the following as goals for joining groups EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

The primary goals for joining groups typically include gaining leadership positions, accomplishing tasks, and sharing accurate information. Seeking mental efficiency is not commonly listed as a direct goal for joining groups.

Question 13

The two types of cohesiveness described in the textbook are

Accepted Answer

The two types of cohesiveness described in the textbook are task cohesiveness and interpersonal cohesiveness. Task cohesiveness refers to the shared commitment of a group to achieve specific goals or tasks, while interpersonal cohesiveness refers to the level of liking, friendliness, and social interaction among group members. Therefore, option D is the best choice.

Question 14

People in individualistic societies are more likely to join multiple performance groups because

Accepted Answer

People in individualistic societies prioritize their own needs and interests over the needs of the group. Therefore, they are more likely to join multiple performance groups to satisfy their particular needs and interests at the moment.

Question 15

People are more likely to join performance groups when

Accepted Answer

People are more likely to join performance groups when they worry they may fail as individuals because being in a group can diffuse the responsibility for the outcome, making the potential for individual failure less intimidating.

Question 16

Teams with high interpersonal cohesiveness are good at ________ but susceptible to ________.

Accepted Answer

Teams with high interpersonal cohesiveness have good communication among team members, which is a key factor in effective teamwork. However, they may also be susceptible to poor decision making, as there may be a lack of diverse perspectives and critical thinking among team members who are highly cohesive.

Question 17

Imagine you are an efficiency consultant with social psychological training and the local pickle company asks you to help it increase individual pickle packing productivity.Considering the phenomenon of social loafing,you should recommend

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is a phenomenon where individuals tend to reduce their effort when working in a group, assuming that their individual contribution will not be noticed, and others will compensate for their actions. To combat this, it is recommended to make individual packing productivity identifiable in some way. By introducing measures that differentiate and measure individual productivity, such as assigning specific tasks, targets and objectives for each worker, the tendency of social loafing can be reduced. Therefore, option D is the best choice. Option A is not recommended as it could potentially worsen the social loafing problem. Option B and C are irrelevant to the issue.

Question 18

Social scientists have found that computer simulations of human social behavior

Accepted Answer

Computer simulations of human social behavior have been found to be useful for explaining current data and generating novel predictions. While there may be some confounds and limitations to these simulations, they still have the potential to offer insights into complex social phenomena.

Question 19

Joey is hoping to get an A in his social psychology class,but is concerned about his low grade on the first exam.What will make it more likely that Joey will join a study group with Rachel and Monica?

Accepted Answer

If Joey believes that studying with the group will help improve his grade, he will be more likely to join the study group. This is because it aligns with his goal of getting an A in the class. Option A is not relevant as individualistic tendencies do not relate to the decision of joining a study group. Option C is not relevant because higher group cohesiveness would increase the likelihood of Joey joining the group. Option D is not relevant as Monica's view of the meaningfulness of studying is not related to Joey's decision to join the group.

Question 20

In the Phi Upsilon Nu sorority at Upstate University,sisters expect each other to party hard on the weekends,to get multiple navel piercings,and to wear the color pink.This set of shared expectations of how group members ought to behave is called

Accepted Answer

Injunctive norms refer to the behaviors that are perceived as acceptable and agreed upon by the group. In this case, the expectations of partying hard, getting multiple navel piercings, and wearing pink are examples of injunctive norms that the sisters of the Phi Upsilon Nu sorority have agreed upon as appropriate behavior within their group. Therefore, the best choice is C) an injunctive norm.

Quiz 12: Groups