Question 1

Experimental research studying groupthink has shown which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Experimental research on groupthink has indeed found that manipulating variables expected to lead to groupthink, such as high group cohesiveness, can increase symptoms of groupthink. This suggests that certain conditions can foster an environment where groupthink is more likely to occur.

Question 2

Which of the following would likely be effective in preventing groupthink?

Accepted Answer

The leader instructing everyone to critically evaluate all information would likely be effective in preventing groupthink because it encourages critical thinking and challenges assumptions.

Question 3

Which of the following would not be effective in preventing to groupthink?

Accepted Answer

Option D could potentially reinforce the leader's biases or opinions, rather than encouraging open and critical discussion among all group members. This approach might not effectively prevent groupthink because it does not necessarily encourage the exploration of alternative viewpoints or dissenting opinions.

Question 4

Group polarization refers to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Group polarization is the phenomenon where discussions within a group lead to the adoption of more extreme positions or attitudes than the members initially had. This occurs because individuals tend to align their views with what they perceive to be the group consensus, often leading to a shift towards more extreme positions.

Question 5

In research conducted by Myers and Kaplan, mock juries of U.S. college students were asked to assess the guilt or innocence of defendants. In some groups the evidence against the defendant was strong and in other cases the evidence was weak. Which of the following was found after the groups discussed the case?

Accepted Answer

This finding aligns with the concept of group polarization, where discussion within a group tends to make their initial leanings stronger. In the context of the study, when evidence was strong, the group leaned more towards guilt, and when evidence was weak, they leaned more towards innocence after discussion.

Question 6

Imagine a group that is asked to determine how attractive people are. They are given a series of pictures of very attractive and very unattractive individuals. After group discussion, which of the following is most likely to be observed?

Accepted Answer

Group discussions often lead to polarization, where opinions become more extreme in the direction they were initially leaning. Thus, attractive individuals may be seen as more attractive, and unattractive individuals as less attractive after group discussion.

Question 7

Which of the following explanations for group polarization is only useful for explaining shifts towards risk?

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility specifically explains shifts towards risk by suggesting that individuals in a group feel less personally accountable for the outcomes of risky decisions, leading them to support riskier actions than they would individually.

Question 8

One problem with the social comparison explanation of group polarization is that

Accepted Answer

The social comparison explanation suggests that individuals adjust their opinions to align with what they perceive to be the group norm, often in a more extreme direction to gain social approval. If individuals simply conformed to the existing norm, this would not explain why group opinions tend to become more extreme (polarize) following discussion. Instead, the process of discussing and comparing views can lead to a shift towards more extreme positions, contradicting the idea that mere conformity to initial norms is at play.

Question 9

Which of the following is predicted by the self-categorization explanation of group polarization?

Accepted Answer

The self-categorization explanation suggests that individuals align their attitudes more closely with the perceived norms of their in-group, leading to greater polarization within in-groups compared to out-groups.

Question 10

Diane Mackie had participants listen to groups of people discussing a topic. Some of the research participants thought that they would be joining the group in the future. Which of the following results did Mackie observe?

Accepted Answer

Mackie found that when participants expected to join a group, they perceived the group's norms as more extreme and showed greater attitude change in the direction of those norms, indicating a stronger influence of anticipated group membership on both perception and personal attitudes.

Question 11

A researcher finds that there is more group polarization after groups discuss the topic of interest than there is after groups only share their opinions but do not discuss the issue. Which of the following explanations could account for this finding?

Accepted Answer

Persuasive arguments can lead to group polarization, as individuals are more likely to adopt extreme positions after hearing others express similar views.

Question 12

If groups with contrasting opinions meet together to discuss an issue, ____ predicts that the group opinions will move toward each other, whereas _____ predicts that the group to opinions will move away from each other.

Accepted Answer

Persuasive arguments theory suggests that through the exchange of arguments, individuals in a group may influence each other, potentially leading to a convergence of opinions. Social categorization theory, on the other hand, posits that individuals categorize themselves and others into groups, which can lead to an emphasis on differences and potentially polarize group opinions further apart.

Question 13

Brauer and Judd manipulated both the number of times that participants heard others express their beliefs as well as the number of times the participants expressed their own beliefs. Which of the following did they find to be the best predictor of group polarization?

Accepted Answer

The number of times participants expressed their own beliefs was found to be the best predictor of group polarization, as it reinforces their commitment to those beliefs.

Question 14

Consider the task typologies that have been used to categorize group performance, and give examples of tasks that represent each type.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the task typologies that have been...

Question 15

How are member characteristics, process gains, and process losses used to predict actual group performance?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How are member characteristics, process gains, and...

Question 16

How should the performance of groups and individuals be compared? Be sure to consider the use of nominal groups in your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How should the performance of groups and...

Question 17

What is the "decision scheme" approach to understanding group decision making? Consider the types of decision schemes that are important in group process. What are the limitations of this approach?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the "decision scheme" approach to...

Question 18

What is groupthink? What are the characteristics of groupthink, and how can groupthink be prevented? How has groupthink been studied?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is groupthink? What are the characteristics...

Question 19

What is group polarization, and when does it occur? Consider four different theoretical approaches that can explain group polarization. What research supports each of these explanations?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is group polarization, and when does...

Question 20

Overall, do you think it is a good idea to use groups to help make decisions? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Overall, do you think it is a...

Quiz 8: Group Decision Making