Psychology & Sociology
In the realm of group psychology, various factors affect individual and group performance. Among them, social facilitation refers to improved performance on a task when performed in front of an audience. Conversely, social loafing denotes people doing less work as part of a group than they would individually. There's also the Hawthorne effect, which is the tendency for people to change their behavior when they know they're being observed. In some cases, groups may exhibit group polarization, taking a collective viewpoint more extreme than the individual viewpoints of its members. Furthermore, groupthink can lead to groups making worse decisions than individual members would have made on their own.
Additional phenomena include the bystander effect, which involves the diffusion of responsibility, where individuals are less likely to take action in the presence of others. This can lead to inaction in situations where people should respond. Another situation is mob mentality, where anonymity causes people to act in ways they wouldn't if they were identifiable. Large groups, such as mobs or even anonymous users on the internet, can exhibit this behavior.
Lesson Outline
<ul> <li>Group psychology</li> <ul> <li>Social facilitation: improved performance in front of an audience</li> <li>Social loafing: doing less work as part of a group</li> <li>Hawthorne or observer effect: changes in behavior when being watched</li> <li>Group polarization: taking more extreme viewpoints as a group than individually</li> <li>Groupthink: making worse decisions as a group by trying to avoid conflict</li> <li>Bystander effect</li> <ul> <li>Diffusion of responsibility: not responding to events when others are around</li> </ul> <li>Mob mentality: doing things while anonymous that one wouldn't do if identifiable</li> </ul> </ul>
Don't stop here!
Get access to 51 more Psychology & Sociology lessons & 8 more full MCAT courses with one subscription!
FAQs
Social facilitation is the phenomenon in which an individual's performance is improved when they are in the presence of others, as compared to when they are alone. This effect occurs due to increased arousal and motivation, as the individual becomes more aware of their own performance and the assessment of others. In the context of group psychology, social facilitation can impact group dynamics and influence how individuals behave within a group setting, contributing to overall group performance and decision-making.
Social loafing is the tendency of individuals to exert less effort when they are part of a group, as opposed to when working individually. This can negatively impact group performance, as it may result in unequal contributions and lower overall productivity. Social loafing occurs due to the diffusion of responsibility in a group, where individuals feel less accountable for the collective outcome, and may also be influenced by the perception that others in the group may be loafing as well.
The Hawthorne effect refers to the tendency of individuals to change their behavior when they are aware that they are being observed. This can create challenges in group psychology research, as the mere presence of an observer may alter the natural dynamics and behaviors within a group. To minimize the Hawthorne effect, researchers may use unobtrusive observation methods, maintain participants' anonymity, or use other techniques to ensure participants behave as naturally as possible during the study.
Group polarization refers to the phenomenon where group discussions tend to amplify existing opinions within the group, leading to more extreme positions than those initially held by individual members. This can result in riskier or more conservative decisions, depending on the group's initial tendencies. Groupthink, on the other hand, is a dysfunctional decision-making process in which the desire for group harmony and conformity overrides critical evaluation and dissent. This may lead to poor decision outcomes and a suppression of alternative viewpoints. Both group polarization and groupthink can negatively impact group decision-making and should be considered when analyzing group dynamics and performance.
The bystander effect is a phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to help someone in need when they are in a group, as opposed to being alone. This occurs due to the diffusion of responsibility, where individuals assume that others in the group will take action, resulting in a reduced sense of personal accountability. The larger the group, the more pronounced this effect can become, leading to a lowered likelihood of intervention even in critical situations. Understanding the bystander effect and its underlying causes can help promote individual responsibility and intervention in emergency situations.
