Question 1

When group members adopt and agree to the norms of a group, which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

It's not enough for group leaders to share their opinions-even if members adopt the leaders' views, the effect may last only 3 days!28 When agreed to by the group, norms influence behavior with a minimum of external controls.

Question 2

The important groups to which an individual belongs or hopes to belong are known as ________ groups.

Accepted Answer

Reference groups are groups in which a person is aware of other members, defines himself or herself as a member or would like to be a member, and feels group members are significant to him or her.

Question 3

Jonas Wilkes has struggled for many years with tight finances at home. Throughout school and college, he worked really hard, earned the best grades, and prepared himself for a better life. By a better life, he meant a house in the uptown Wellington Road and a membership in the Diamond District Club where he envisions himself playing golf on weekends. The residents of Wellington Road and the members of Diamond District Club serve as a(n) ________ for him.

Accepted Answer

Reference groups are groups in which a person is aware of other members, defines himself or herself as a member or would like to be a member, and feels group members are significant to him or her.

Question 4

Norms can cover any aspect of group behavior.

Accepted Answer

This is true; norms can cover any aspect of group behavior.

Question 5

Which of the following is an effective means of countering social loafing?

Accepted Answer

Since group results cannot be attributed to any single person, the relationship between an individual's input and the group's output is clouded. Individuals may then be tempted to become free riders and coast on the group's efforts. To avoid this, individual efforts in a group's outcome should be identified.

Question 6

As a member of a group, you typically desire acceptance by the group and are susceptible to ________ to group norms.

Accepted Answer

As a member of a group, you desire acceptance by the group. Thus, you are susceptible to conforming to group norms. Considerable evidence suggests that groups can place strong pressures on individual members to change their attitudes and behaviors to match the group's standard.

Question 7

How can norms be used to reduce deviant workplace behavior?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can norms be used to reduce...

Question 8

Which of the following is true with regard to social loafing?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing appears to have a Western bias. It is consistent with individualistic cultures, such as the United States and Canada, that are dominated by self-interest. It is not consistent with collective societies, in which individuals are motivated by ingroup goals.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect of status on conformity pressure?

Accepted Answer

High-status individuals are often given more freedom to deviate from norms than are other group members. People in high-status jobs (such as physicians, lawyers, and executives) have especially negative reactions to social pressure exerted by people in low-status jobs. For example, physicians actively resist administrative decisions made by lower -ranking insurance company employees.

Question 10

________ refers to the adjustment of one's behavior to align with the norms of the group.

Accepted Answer

Conformity refers to the adjustment of one's behavior to align with the norms of the group.

Question 11

Which of the following terms best represents voluntary actions that violate significant organizational norms and, in doing so, threaten the well-being of the organization or its members?

Accepted Answer

Deviant workplace behavior (also called antisocial behavior or workplace incivility) is voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational norms and, in doing so, threatens the well-being of the organization or its members.

Question 12

Which of the following is true with regard to deviant workplace behavior?

Accepted Answer

Like norms in general, individual employees' antisocial actions are shaped by the group context within which they work. Evidence demonstrates deviant workplace behavior is likely to flourish where it's supported by group norms.

Question 13

When faced with a number of tight deadlines, Mandy Moore often delegates work collectively. Recently she chose some fairly experienced employees to work on a high-priority project. She was heartened to see that the selected group of employees was having numerous meetings and working hard. However, when she went to check on their progress at the halfway mark in the project schedule, she was shocked to see how little the team had done in the past three weeks. This scenario reflects ________.

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working in a group than when working individually. Group performance increases with group size, but the addition of new members has diminishing returns on productivity.

Question 14

Which of the following terms indicates the tendency of individuals to spend less effort when working collectively?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working in a group than when working individually. Group performance increases with group size, but the addition of new members has diminishing returns on productivity.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect that size of the group has on the group's overall behavior?

Accepted Answer

The size of the group affects the group's overall behavior. The evidence indicates smaller groups are faster at completing tasks than larger ones and that individuals perform better in smaller groups than in larger ones. Compared to smaller groups, larger groups are better at problem solving. If the goal of the group is fact-finding, larger groups should be more effective.

Question 16

The popular thinking is that to increase creativity in groups, for instance, norms should be loosened. However, research on gender-diverse groups indicates that strong political correctness (P.C.) norms increase group creativity.

Accepted Answer

Clear expectations about male-female interactions reduce uncertainty about group expectations, which allows the members to more easily express their creative ideas without combatting stereotype norms.
Positive group norms may well beget positive outcomes, but only if other factors are present, too. For instance, in a recent study a high level of group extraversion predicted helping behaviors more strongly when there were positive cooperation norms. As powerful as norms can be, though, not everyone is equally susceptible to positive group norms. Individual personalities factor in, too, as well as the level of a person's social identity with the group. A recent study in Germany indicated that the more satisfied people were with their groups, the more closely they followed group norms.

Question 17

According to status characteristics theory, which of the following factors does not determine status?

Accepted Answer

According to status characteristics theory, status tends to derive from one of three sources: the power a person wields over others; a person's ability to contribute to a group's goals; and an individual's personal characteristics (special talent, intelligence, money, or a friendly personality).

Question 18

Which of the following is a contributing factor with regard to social loafing?

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working in a group than when working individually. One explanation for social loafing is the diffusion of responsibility. Because group results cannot be attributed to any single person, the relationship between an individual's input and the group's output is clouded. Individuals may then be tempted to become free riders and coast on the group's efforts.

Question 19

Positive norms always portend positive outcomes in a company.

Accepted Answer

Positive group norms may well beget positive outcomes, but only if other factors are present, too.

Question 20

Status refers to the ________.

Accepted Answer

Status refers to the socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others.

Quiz 9: Foundations of Group Behavior