Journal

What social groups are you a part of? (Family, clubs, friends, etc.) Has your membership in these social groups ever influenced your personal decisions? How or how not?

LEARNING TARGETS I can distinguish between a primary group

and secondary group

What is a group?

Two or more people who identify with and interact with one another

Primary group: a small social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships

Secondary group: a large and impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific goal or activity

How would you answer the question, “How are you?”

Social Loafing

The tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they are part of a group

Because all members of the group are pooling their effort to achieve a common goal, each member of the group contributes less than they would if they were individually responsible. This happens when there is NO individual accountability.

Does this really happen?

Social Loafing

Though it is a tendency to “loaf”, certain factors reduce the likelihood1. Engaging and interactive activities

2. Being part of a close group (primary group)

3. Individual accountability

Social Facilitation

Is our performance hindered or enhanced by the presence of others?

Social Facilitation

Tendency for people to do better on simple tasks when in the presence of other people.

This implies that whenever people are being watched by others, they will do well on things that they are already good at doing.

Group Conformity

Solomon Asch’s Experiment (on conformity)

Video uploaded to wiki

Losing our sense of self in a group

April 2003: In the wake of American troops entering Iraq’s cities, looters ran rampant

“ They came in mobs: A group of 50 would come, they would go, and another would come”

Reports of the events led the rest of the world wondering What happened to the looters’ sense of

morality? Why did such behavior erupt?

When do we lose our sense of self?

When we are aroused and responsibility is diffused, normal inhibitions diminish.

When normal inhibitions diminish, results are startling!

Power of the group can lead create a sense of excitement, of being caught up in something bigger than your self. Rock concert

When do we lose our sense of self?

Group Size: this can make members unidentifiable You can hide behind the mask of your groupYou focus on the situation, and not on yourselfSince “everyone is doing it” we can contribute

our behavior to the situation and not to our own choices

When do we lose our sense of self?

Physical AnonymityNew York University Experiment (Klan-like outfits) Internet and anonymity

Does it always bring out the worst in us?Nurse UniformsBeing anonymous makes us less self-conscious,

more group-conscious and more responsive to social cues

When do we lose our sense of self?

Diminished Self-AwarenessUnself-conscious, deinividuated people are

less restrained, less self-regulated and more likely to act without thinking about their own values

Acting in front of a TV camera or mirror led to increased self control and their actions more clearly reflected their values