Deck 2: Studying Groups

Question 1

Researchers sometimes do not tell people when they are studying them.Offer both pro and con arguments on this issue,and draw a personal conclusion.

Answer 1

Answers Will Vary

Question 2

Dr.Smith wants to understand the initiation process in fraternities and sororities.However,he realizes that it would be unethical to put participants in his study through the same experiences that pledges usually undergo.Develop an experiment that Dr.Smith could run that would examine the initiation process in an ethical manner.

Answer 2

Answers Will Vary

Question 3

You wish to study what makes one group more creative than another.Drawing on the coverage of topics in this chapter,describe the three essential ingredients you must combine to develop a scientific analysis of this topic.

Answer 3

Answers Will Vary

Question 4

Jacob recently joined a selective group.To become a member of the group,Jacob had to go through a series of initiations with other potential members.Jacob's old friends notice that he is doing things he normally would not (e.g. ,stealing,excessive drinking).Use Lewin's field theory to explain Jacob's behavior.

Question 5

In what instances would researchers use a nonexperimental design over an experimental one? How does the type of design affect the determination of causation?

Question 6

You wish to test the hypothesis that cohesive groups outperform noncohesive groups.Describe three methods you could use to measure cohesiveness.

Question 7

What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of observational methods and self-report methods of measurement?

Question 8

What does it mean to say that group processes are multilevel processes? Work through an example of a multilevel analysis of a group's cohesiveness.

Question 9

Develop a theoretical model that explains why groups tend to select men rather than women as their leaders.Be certain to describe the motivational,behavioral,systems,cognitive,and biological foundations of your framework.

Question 10

Briefly explain the Hawthorne effect.What implications does this effect have for observational techniques?

Question 11

Like any science,group dynamics is guided by a paradigm.What are the assumptions of this paradigm?

Question 12

A researcher asks people how many groups they belong to and asks them questions about their physical and mental health.She finds that these variables are related: the more groups people belong to the healthier they are.What type of study did the researcher conduct,and can she conclude that groups cause improved health?

Question 13

Draw a sociogram of a group of fictitious high school friends.Include at least seven members and make sure to identify stars,clusters,pairs,and isolates.

Question 14

Define the concepts of reliability and validity.Give examples of measures that are reliable and valid and measures that are not reliable or valid.

Question 15

Compare and contrast these theoretical models of group behavior: motivational/emotion models,behavioral approaches,systems theories,cognitive approaches,and biological models.

Question 16

What is a correlation coefficient? Give several examples of correlations and be sure to interpret the nature and strength of the relationship described.

Question 17

What is the difference between scientific approaches to studying groups and nonscientific approaches?

Question 18

Janis developed his theory of groupthink by examining the behavior of past groups that made poor decisions.He examined items such as meetings notes,group member's public statements,and letters.Did Janis perform a qualitative or a quantitative study? What are the advantages and disadvantages to the approach Janis used?

Question 19

Ed wants to know if having an audience helps people perform better.He has half the subjects complete a test in front of an audience (three confederates)and the other half complete the test alone.He then compares subjects' scores.Identify the (a)type of study (b)independent variable and (c)dependent variable.

Question 20

A friend of yours says that groups are not real,because if we understand the people in the group then we understand the group itself.Give at least three reasons why your friend is mistaken.

Question 21

Sociograms are interpersonal messages sent from one group member to another.

Question 22

Self-report measures are best used when collecting data on personality and feelings-areas where the participants are willing to disclose their personal attitudes and opinions.

Question 23

William Foote Whyte used covert observational measures to study corner gangs.

Question 24

Lewin developed the theory that beliefs about a group are a function of the people in that group and the group's entitativity,or B = f (P,E).

Question 25

The strongest correlation is +1 meaning that X perfectly predicts Y,and the weakest correlation is -1 meaning X is unrelated to Y.

Question 26

If X and Y are correlated,X causes Y or Y causes X.

Question 27

A cognitive theorist's most basic assumption is that behaviors that are followed by rewards will occur more frequently in the future.

Question 28

The psychologist Floyd Allport questioned the value of a group-level analysis of behavior.

Question 29

The Interaction Process Analysis (IPA)is a method for participants in an experiment to evaluate how friendly or unfriendly other group members are.

Question 30

A qualitative study is a better "quality" study because its results can be described numerically.

Question 31

Online groups cannot be studied using observational methods because their interactions take place in virtual reality.

Question 32

Sociometry was an early form of social network analysis.

Question 33

Observational measurement methods involve asking group members to describe-often through surveys-their personal observations of group activities.

Question 34

The independent variable in the Lewin,Lippitt,and White study was productivity when working in groups.

Question 35

Hawthorne effects are less likely when researchers use covert observational methods.

Question 36

Groupthink is a scientifically verified method for increasing a group's creativity.

Question 37

Durkheim,a sociologist,believed that groups were not real and therefore,that researchers should only study the behavior of individuals,not groups.

Question 38

Group researchers use scientific procedures to study groups.

Question 39

Experimental methods support causal conclusions.

Question 40

A measure can be reliable without being valid.

Question 41

The ___ for group dynamics includes certain beliefs-often held only implicitly-that define researchers' assumptions about group phenomena and the methods they should use to study these phenomena.

A)paradigm
B)hypothesis
C)interaction
D)level of analysis

Question 42

The individualistic perspective is to the group perspective as ___ is to ___.

A)sociology;psychology
B)group dynamics;sociology
C)psychology;sociology
D)sociology;group dynamics
E)social psychology;political science

Question 43

A psychological perspective on groups,as proposed by such researchers as Allport,argues

A)the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
B)groups sometimes undergo such dramatic experiences that they develop a unified,collective conscious.
C)to understand a group,you must understand the individuals in that group.
D)it is easier,in many cases,to change people who are in a group rather than everyone separately.
E)psychological problems are caused by social problems in most cases.

Question 44

The Hawthorne effect would likely be greatest in a(n)___ study.

A)overt observational
B)experimental
C)field
D)quantitative
E)qualitative

Question 45

Which theorist argued that collective representations-people's shared beliefs-are the cornerstone of society?

A)Charles H.Cooley
B)Émile Durkheim
C)Norman Triplett
D)Floyd A.Allport
E)Kurt Lewin

Question 46

A male researcher joins two different clubs-one containing all males and the other both males and females-and secretly takes notes on the group dynamics.This study is an example of a(n)___ measurement method.

A)participant observation
B)experimental covert observation
C)overt structured observation
D)subverted observation
E)unethical

Question 47

In Lewin's formula B = f (P,E),P stands for ___ and E stands for ___.

A)person;environment
B)personality;external factors
C)past;environment
D)person;evolution
E)personality;entitativity

Question 48

Sherif demonstrated that norms

A)disappear when the individual leaves the group.
B)are social standards that exist across the individual members.
C)rarely develop in groups.
D)follow no systematic pattern of development.
E)are not real,for they exist only in the eye of the beholder.

Question 49

Whyte's study of "corner gangs"

A)experimentally manipulated norms.
B)used structured observations.
C)made use of participant observation.
D)was a self-report study.

Question 50

According to a multi-level approach to groups

A)it is more important to understand group-level processes than individual-level processes.
B)most processes that seem to be group-level processes are determined by psychological mechanisms.
C)researchers should pinpoint the source of the process at its most basic level.
D)group processes depend on individual,group,and cultural factors.

Question 51

Allport's psychological perspective in the "reality of groups" debate argued that

A)people join groups so rarely that their influence on behavior is minimal.
B)groups can be understood in terms of the psychology of the individual members.
C)groups possess a collective conscious in some cases.
D)suicide is caused by anomie rather than group processes.
E)only primary groups are important to study.

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT necessarily a key element of scientific research?

A)measurement
B)research design
C)theory
D)statistical analysis

Question 53

Dr.Bynamic studies group performance by watching same- and mixed-sex groups in the library,and recording how much time they spend talking versus studying.Bynamic is using a(n)___ measurement method.

A)survey
B)experimental
C)observational
D)participant observation

Question 54

According to systems theory,groups take in external data,process the information,and then generate a response.

Question 55

When Allport wrote,"The actions of all are nothing more than the sum of the actions of each taken separately," he was championing the ___ approach to groups.

A)multi-level
B)individual-level
C)sociological
D)group-level
E)collective consciousness

Question 56

A researcher wanted to observe a group but was afraid that his or her presence would cause group members to question and rethink their decisions.The researcher decided to join the group and observe members without their knowledge.This is known as a(n)___ observational method.

A)structured
B)layered
C)covert
D)survey
E)overt

Question 57

The person who says ___ is committing the "group fallacy".

A)I don't believe in groups.
B)Groups substantially influence individual members.
C)The group became so upset that it turned against its own leader.
D)Membership in a collective can influence individual members' sense of identity.
E)The actions of all are equivalent to the action of each one.

Question 58

Which statement captures the essence of Lewin's concept of interactionism,or B = f (P,E)?

A)The people rioted,overtaken by "mob mentality."
B)June is a collectivistic person who very much enjoys helping others.
C)Conflict is more intense when between groups rather than individuals.
D)Extraverts enjoy being in groups more than introverts,except in groups with dominant leaders.
E)This test is so difficult,no one can get a perfect score.

Question 59

As applied to group dynamics research, the Hawthorne effect suggests

A)sociometric methods should be used whenever possible.
B)research should be conducted,whenever possible,in the laboratory.
C)group processes cannot be understood using observational methods.
D)people may act differently when they know they are being studied.

Question 60

Which is the best example of a multi-level analysis?

A)Studying not only the members of the group but also the group's leader.
B)Examining how different roles in the groups affect performance.
C)Studying how a norm influences the group as well as each member.
D)Studying how a group can function at an efficient level,but then move to an inefficient level.
E)A study that examines an individual's thoughts,feelings,and actions.

Question 61

Interviews,surveys,and sociometry are examples of ___ techniques.

A)self-report
B)observational
C)correlational
D)case study
E)experimental

Question 62

Which of the following does NOT fit with the others?

A)Observational measure
B)SYMLOG
C)Interaction Process Analysis (IPA)
D)Self-report

Question 63

Jill thinks that mixed-sex groups (ones with both males and females)make better decisions than same-sex groups.Therefore,she creates ten mixed-sex groups and ten same-sex groups,and asks them to answer a series of math problems.In this study,the independent variable is

A)the composition of the group (same-sex or mixed-sex).
B)the quality of the group's decision.
C)the size of the groups.
D)the gender of the group members.
E)held constant.

Question 64

A researcher investigates the relationship between cohesiveness and team performance by studying the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.This method is called

A)experimentation.
B)self-report.
C)case study.
D)correlational.
E)observation.

Question 65

Janis used the ___ method to study decision making in groups.

A)observational
B)case study
C)experimental
D)sociometric

Question 66

Ruth took the Group Process Skill Inventory (the GPSI)on October 10th.If she got the same score when she took the GPSI again on October 20th,her responses would suggest that the test

A)is valid.
B)is reliable.
C)has adequate internal integrity.
D)possesses adequate structure.

Question 67

The exam that you are currently taking is a very good measure of people's knowledge of group dynamics.People who know the material get high scores and those who do not tend to miss many items.This exam is

A)sufficiently normed.
B)culturally biased.
C)unreliable.
D)high in validity.
E)low in both reliability and validity.

Question 68

You are interested in studying the relationship between individual group members' political attitudes and their desire to be the leader of their group.You should probably use ___ measures.

A)self-report
B)participant observational
C)sociometric
D)archival
E)covert observational

Question 69

Members of the Nortons,the corner boys studied by Whyte,derived their attitudes,interests,and values from the group.The Nortons are examples of a ___ group.

A)secondary
B)task-oriented
C)reference
D)sociometric

Question 70

The IPA and the SYMLOG method are similar in that they both are ___ observational methods.

A)overt
B)covert
C)structured
D)participant
E)projective

Question 71

Which of the following statements is true?

A)A sociogram is a message of attraction sent from one member to another.
B)Sociometry yields information about specific individuals as well as group-level social network data.
C)Most researchers use observational methods,rather than self-report methods,when carrying out sociometric studies.
D)In general,the more decentralized the group the more likely one or two members will be sociometric stars.

Question 72

A measure that consistently yields the same conclusion at different times is

A)valid.
B)reliable.
C)robust.
D)remittent.
E)low in measurement error.

Question 73

Mark thinks that mixed-sex groups (ones with both males and females)make better decisions than same-sex groups.Therefore,he creates ten mixed-sex groups and ten same-sex groups,and asks them to answer a series of math problems.In this study,the dependent variable is

A)the composition of the group (same-sex or mixed-sex).
B)the quality of the group's decision.
C)the size of the groups.
D)the gender of the group members.
E)held constant.

Question 74

Instead of studying a group in the lab,I decide to observe groups in a natural setting.I am studying ___ groups.

A)experimental
B)bona fide
C)transcendental
D)artificial
E)scapegoat

Question 75

Many years ago,researchers found that observers' preconceptions and biases influence their observations of groups.Researchers turned to ___ observational methods to solve this problem.

A)overt
B)participant
C)covert
D)unstructured
E)structured

Question 76

Bainbridge's analysis of an online gaming community (World of Warcraft)indicated that

A)online groups cannot be studied using participant observational methods.
B)individuals in online groups act in unusual and unpredictable ways,compared to members of offline groups.
C)online groups are not that different from group in the physical (offline)world.
D)the relationships linking members of online groups tend to be superficial and temporary.

Question 77

Which correlation coefficient best indicates an inverse,or negative,relationship?

A)-5.83
B).314
C)0.01
D)-.85
E)1.34

Question 78

Bales solved the objectivity problem in group observers by

A)using participant observation.
B)using uninvolved observers.
C)structuring group observations.
D)controlling the group's interaction.
E)relying on self-report measures.

Question 79

Sociometry is generally used to measure

A)task performance.
B)group behavior.
C)leadership.
D)group goals.
E)group structure.

Question 80

You randomly assign 40 groups to two conditions: 20 groups are told they failed a task,and 20 are told they did well.Next,you have them complete a questionnaire measure of cohesiveness.You are carrying out a(n)___ study.

A)case
B)experimental
C)correlational
D)observational
E)archival