Question 1

Poor group decisions are likely to occur when

Accepted Answer

All three statements are potential causes of poor group decisions. When members believe in their moral superiority, they are likely to dismiss alternative perspectives and fail to consider the consequences of their decisions. When conformity is valued over critical thinking, groupthink can occur, resulting in a lack of diverse perspectives and blindspots. Finally, when a group perceives themselves as invincible, they may ignore feedback or cautionary advice, leading to reckless decision-making.

Question 2

Lesyk and Bebo are arguing about whether playing in a team tug-of-war makes a person work more or less than playing it one on one. Lesyk argues that it makes you loaf because of diffusion of responsibility. Bebo presents the opposite argument; the situation would make you work harder because of

Accepted Answer

Social facilitation is the tendency for people to perform better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks when they are in the presence of others and their individual performance can be evaluated. Therefore, playing in a team tug-of-war where individual performance can be evaluated by others will likely make a person work harder due to the presence of others, which is the concept of social facilitation. The other options (facility reciprocation effect and foot-in-the-door technique) are unrelated to the concept of playing in a team tug-of-war.

Question 3

Rules that govern group decision making are called

Accepted Answer

Rules that govern group decision making are called social decision schemes. This includes methods such as majority vote, consensus, and authority rule. Justification refers to providing reasons or explanations for a decision, social rationalization schemes is not a commonly used term, and social committee rules does not accurately describe the overall concept of decision making within a group.

Question 4

When NASA was making the decision to launch the space shuttle Challenger it already had an excellent record of successful launches. This fact probably led to which aspect of groupthink?

Accepted Answer

The group's previous success may have led to the belief that they were always right and unable to make mistakes, which is a symptom of groupthink called the "illusion of invulnerability."

Question 5

A group of students get together and start to discuss their dissatisfaction over the recent increase in tuition. They decide it is time to take action, due to the intensity of their concern. What group effect has most likely occurred?

Accepted Answer

Polarization occurs when a group's discussion leads to a shift in their attitudes towards a more extreme position. In this scenario, the group's dissatisfaction over tuition may lead them to become more strongly opposed to the increase, resulting in a polarization effect.

Question 6

Social facilitation operates when

Accepted Answer

The answer of Social facilitation operates when
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Question 7

One major reason that groups tend to take greater risks than their members would take as individuals is

Accepted Answer

Groups tend to experience diffusion of responsibility because individuals may feel less accountable for their actions when they are in a group compared to when they are alone. This can lead to riskier decisions being made because no one person feels solely responsible for the outcome. The reciprocity norm and group intelligence may not directly contribute to group risk-taking behaviors.

Question 8

You are about to give your first speech. You are nervous and hope you don't do something foolish in front of the whole class. The presence of the class is not likely to facilitate your performance due to

Accepted Answer

Evaluation apprehension refers to the anxiety we feel when being evaluated or judged by others. In this situation, the speaker is nervous about the potential evaluation by the entire class, which can hinder their performance. Social pressure (choice A) and deindividuation (choice C) are not applicable here, as the situation does not involve anonymity or conformity. Diffusion of responsibility (choice D) may apply in group situations, where individuals feel less accountable, but it does not pertain to this individual speech.

Question 9

Sarah can recite her speech for her oral communications class perfectly when she is alone. However, when she is in front of the group she often loses her "train of thought" because of her concern that the audience is judging her performance. Sarah's performance has been influenced by

Accepted Answer

Sarah's performance is influenced by evaluation apprehension, which is the concern or fear about being judged or evaluated by others. This is a common factor that can lead to anxiety and decreased performance in situations where individuals are being observed or evaluated by others. The other options are not relevant to Sarah's situation - diffusion of responsibility refers to a decrease in individual responsibility when working in a group, risky shift refers to an increase in risky decision-making in a group, and altruism refers to actions taken to benefit others without regard for personal gain.

Question 10

When a group pays less attention to external realities than to its own cohesiveness, this is known as

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as groupthink, which occurs when a group values harmony and cohesiveness over realistic assessment of the situation, leading to a lack of critical thinking and poor decision making. Polarization refers to the tendency of group members to become more extreme in their views after discussing them with like-minded individuals, while risky shift refers to the tendency of groups to make riskier decisions than individuals would alone.

Question 11

Evaluation apprehension is best defined as

Accepted Answer

Evaluation apprehension refers specifically to the concern or anxiety we experience about how others are evaluating us or our performance. It does not necessarily involve anxiety about arousal levels or social facilitation.

Question 12

The rules that govern group decision making are called

Accepted Answer

The rules that govern group decision making are called social decision schemes. They are the patterns of behavior and decision-making processes that groups use to establish norms, roles, and procedures for making decisions. Social pressures and social facilitation refer to the influence of others on individual behavior, while group laws are not a recognized concept in social psychology.

Question 13

The polarization effect in groups refers to the idea that

Accepted Answer

The polarization effect in groups suggests that group decisions tend to take a more extreme position than individual decisions. This occurs because individuals in a group tend to reinforce each other's views and attitudes, leading to a more extreme viewpoint or decision.

Question 14

A weekend workshop group is making a decision. If we can assume that it is like most groups, then we can predict that in its decision making, the scheme followed most often by the group when there is no single objectively correct decision is

Accepted Answer

The majority-wins scheme is the most commonly used decision-making scheme in groups when there is no single objectively correct decision. In this scheme, the decision that is supported by the majority of the group members is taken as the final decision. This scheme has the advantage of being democratic and fair, as it gives each member an equal say in the decision-making process. It also ensures that the decision is likely to be accepted and implemented by the group since it represents the will of the majority. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 15

In the __________ scheme, the group comes to recognize that one approach is objectively correct.

Accepted Answer

None of these answer choices accurately describe the scheme in which a group comes to recognize that one approach is objectively correct. This type of decision-making scheme would likely involve gathering and analyzing evidence, weighing different perspectives, and ultimately arriving at a consensus based on rational arguments and shared understanding. It may not depend on a particular voting threshold or process, but rather on a commitment to collaborative inquiry and deliberation.

Question 16

Our committee group is divided on a decision. It may go along with the first member who changes his or her position. This is known as

Accepted Answer

The situation described is known as the first-shift rule, where the group decision depends on the first member to change their position, regardless of the direction of the shift. This approach can be useful for resolving deadlock or indecision within a group.

Question 17

When members of a group share similar attitudes, these attitudes can become intensified and decisions are more likely to involve

Accepted Answer

When group members share similar attitudes, it creates a sense of cohesion and unity within the group. This can lead to a phenomenon called group polarization, where the group's attitudes and decisions become more extreme and risky than any individual member's attitudes or decisions. Therefore, when attitudes are intensified in this way, decisions are more likely to involve risk.

Question 18

The members of a jury are split 50/50 on a conviction decision. After much discussion, one member decides to change their vote and suddenly several others follow. What is this indicative of?

Accepted Answer

The scenario described is an example of the first-shift rule, which suggests that the first person to shift their opinion can influence others to follow suit. This rule is often observed in group decision-making situations, such as jury deliberations.

Question 19

When members of a group believe that they will not be individually held accountable for their performance, they may

Accepted Answer

When group members believe that they will not be individually held accountable for their performance, they may engage in social loafing (option A), "goof off" (option B), or experience diffusion of responsibility (option C). Therefore, the best answer is D, which includes all of these options.

Question 20

The owners and captain of the Titanic believed the ship was invincible and could not sink. They were willing to keep going in spite of several warnings. This shows the effect of __________ on the members of the group.

Accepted Answer

The situation described shows the effect of groupthink, which is the tendency of a group to conform to a particular way of thinking or making decisions, even if it is irrational or goes against evidence or warnings. In this case, the owners and captain of the Titanic believed they were invincible and could not sink, despite warnings from others who had concerns about the safety of the ship. This shows how groupthink can lead to group members conforming to a particular view or decision, even if it is not based on reality or evidence.

Quiz 14: Social Psychology