Deck 1: An Introduction to Group Dynamics

Question 1

Use the concept of group structure to compare primary groups and collectives.

Answer 1

Answers Will Vary

Question 2

If your group dynamics class develops like most groups do,what processes and changes do you expect to see take place during the semester?

Answer 2

Answers Will Vary

Question 3

Will a passerby who sees six people sitting outside the library think these people are a group? Use the concept of entitativity to offer an answer.

Answer 3

Answers Will Vary

Question 4

A group of young men and women meet regularly via the internet to play an online game together.Do they qualify as a group?

Question 5

Provide and justify your own definition of the term group.

Question 6

Why do psychologists,sociologists,anthropologists,and political scientists study groups?

Question 7

Members can influence each other in many ways.Describe and demonstrate the difference between unilateral,sequential,and reciprocal interdependence.Note: A diagram may help.

Question 8

Are six people waiting at a bus stop in silence a group?

Question 9

Use McGrath's taxonomy of tasks to compare these four groups: an assembly line,a political committee deciding to invade Cuba,a company whose members are debating about a potential project,and a ballet troupe.

Question 10

Explain why you agree or disagree with the following thesis: Dyads (two people)are not groups.

Question 11

What does the concept of entitativity have to do with prejudice and stereotyping?

Question 12

You are observing a group of men installing a heating system in a building.What key qualities should you note in your case study of this work group? Define these qualities and give an example of each for the work group.

Question 13

What are the common origins of groups?

Question 14

Pat is a member of APX fraternity and a male.Examine the relative impact of these two groups on Pat's identity.

Question 15

Why do individuals often underestimate the influence of groups and their dynamics?

Question 16

Draw on Hofstede's theory of national cultures to describe cultural differences in group-level processes (formation,influence,performance,and conflict).

Question 17

Lewin used the word dynamic when describing groups.Why did he select this word? What is the definition of group dynamics?

Question 18

What is the relationship between the size of humans' brains and their groups?

Question 19

What two classes of interaction did Bales find to be the most common in group situations? Provide two examples of groups that differ on these classes of interaction.

Question 20

What is the difference between a primary group and a social (or secondary)group?

Question 21

Individuals often identify with a group that they belong to but not with the social categories to which they belong.

Question 22

Psychology and sociology have a monopoly on the study of groups since they were the first branches of science to identify and classify group dynamics.

Question 23

Essentialism is the belief that all things-including individuals and groups-have a basic nature that makes them what they are and distinguishes them from other things.

Question 24

The term group dynamics refers to psychology's resolution to strengthen the power of groups in therapy.

Question 25

Storming is the final stage in group development that entails individuals "storming" out of the group.

Question 26

Group interdependencies tend to be asymmetric,unequal,and hierarchical.

Question 27

Individuals who share some common attribute,such as all males or all residents of New York,are members of a social group rather than a primary group.

Question 28

In his cross-cultural work,Hofstede identified several cultures where individuals do not live in groups.

Question 29

Networks have boundaries,but many groups do not.

Question 30

A group is two or more individuals who are connected to one another by and within social relationships.

Question 31

Theory and research identify four types of groups: primary groups,social groups,collectives,and categories.

Question 32

By definition,groups involve face-to-face interaction,so online gatherings are not true groups.

Question 33

A group that is experiencing conflict will likely lose its cohesiveness and disband.

Question 34

In a true group,interdependence must be mutual: A influences B as much as B influences A.

Question 35

Entitativity is a group's perceived cohesiveness.

Question 36

Group members' actions are guided by their role within the group as well as consensual standards called norms.

Question 37

Group dynamics are not only the influential interpersonal processes that occur in groups but also the name of the scientific field devoted to the study of groups.

Question 38

Although there is a minimum group size (four people),there is no limit to the maximum number within a group.

Question 39

Despite the many problems (e.g. ,competition,conflict,poor decisions)caused by groups,humans could not survive without them.

Question 40

According to the McGrath's model of group tasks,the four basic group goals are generating,choosing,negotiating,and executing.

Question 41

Which of the following qualities is typically found in a social (or secondary)group?

A)Members are strongly committed to the group and rarely leave the group once they join it.
B)The members know each other very well,and share intimate details with one another.
C)The group meets only briefly,and then disperses and does not reassemble.
D)The members interact with one another over an extended period.

Question 42

When researchers recorded the size of groups in public places such as parks,sidewalks,cafeterias,and offices,they discovered that most of these groups were

A)small,including only two or three members.
B)large,ranging from 10 to 20 members.
C)short-lived,lasting for less than 30 seconds on average.
D)crowded together rather than well-spaced.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Studies suggest that groups substantially influence their members.
B)Many people live their entire lives without being a part of a group.
C)Ancient peoples were more individualistic rather than group-centered.
D)Very little is known about groups and their processes.

Question 44

___ is the degree to which a person is linked to other people in social relationships that yield positive,productive benefits.

A)Resilience
B)Integrative complexity
C)Interpersonal mastery
D)Social capital

Question 45

James (1951),after observing naturally forming groups,concluded:

A)most groups include a leader.
B)the most common group size was 2 members.
C)groups are small if deliberately formed,but larger if they form spontaneously.
D)groups include,on average,4.2 members.

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic types of groups?

A)Primary groups
B)Collectives
C)Personal groups
D)Categories
E)social groups

Question 47

Shannon takes her family to church on Sunday.She makes sure that her family sits quietly during mass.She believes that religion will teach her children strong moral values.Shannon's family is a(n)

A)primary group.
B)social group.
C)self-organizing group.
D)essential group.
E)category.

Question 48

Which type of group tends to be shortest in duration?

A)Primary groups
B)Collectives
C)Personal groups
D)Categories
E)Social groups

Question 49

Which group below is least likely to influence a members' social identity?

A)A collective
B)A category
C)A primary group
D)A social group

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT one of the key characteristics of a group?

A)Interaction among members
B)A degree of unity
C)Group structure
D)A leader is present
E)Group-level goals

Question 51

Individuals who live in New York are called New Yorkers.New Yorkers are a(n)

A)norm.
B)planned group.
C)category.
D)emergent group.
E)interaction.

Question 52

A line of people waiting to get into the movies is an example of a

A)primary group.
B)collective.
C)personal group.
D)category.
E)social group.

Question 53

Putnam (2000),in his book Bowling Alone,maintains that

A)Only people who suffer from social anxiety play sports (such as bowling)alone.
B)American's are increasing the strength of their social relations by avoiding competitive play.
C)Social capital in America is growing weaker rather than strengthening.
D)Membership in traditional types of groups,such as community associations,is increasing.
E)Some individualized tasks are performed more effectively when alone rather than with others.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is false?

A)No one definition can capture the many nuances of the word group.
B)Some definitions of the concept of group stress the importance of communication or mutual influence.
C)The minimal number of members needed for true group is debated,with some definitions requiring three members but others only two.
D)If individuals cannot communicate with each other,then they are not a group.

Question 55

An aggregate of individuals is a group if its members

A)have the potential to know one another personally.
B)share some characteristic,such as eye color or birth date.
C)have the same personal goals.
D)are connected to one another by social relationships.

Question 56

Which of the following items is NOT a key element in the definition of a group?

A)two or more members
B)members share some characteristic,such as eye color or date of birth
C)interpersonal connections among members
D)some type of bond that links the members to the group itself

Question 57

Bob is not a rich man,but he does have lots of friends,he is a valued member of many community groups,and he is very close to his family.According to Putnam (2000),Bob has a great deal of:

A)social capital
B)resilience
C)integrative complexity
D)interpersonal mastery

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Aggregations can be easily classified into two categories-group and nongroup.
B)Two-person groups have so many unique characteristics that they are not considered to be groups.
C)Very large collectives,such as mobs,crowds,or congregations,have so many unique qualities that they are not considered to be groups.
D)As groups increase in size,they tend to become more structured.
E)Groups,by definition,must include at least three members but they cannot have more than 20 members.

Question 59

Which term fits in least well with the others?

A)Social category
B)Primary group
C)Social identity
D)Stereotypes

Question 60

Audiences and crowds are to __ as coworkers,sports teams,and study groups are to __.

A)primary groups;collectives
B)collectives;categories
C)collectives;social groups
D)social groups;personal groups
E)secondary groups;primary groups

Question 61

When asked to describe her team at Acme Co,Sue explains "The norm is to eat lunch at your desk.Lu is the team leader and Frank plays the role of the group's motivator.Members have built good relationships with one another,but a small group of 4 members form a tight subgroup within the team." Sue is describing the team's

A)nature.
B)unity.
C)goals.
D)structure.
E)functionality.

Question 62

According to Dunbar (2008),the best size for a community of humans is

A)4.7.
B)12
C)80-100.
D)140-150.
E)200-300.

Question 63

You wish to understand a group's composition.You should therefore study the

A)relationships linking members to each other.
B)group's degree of cohesiveness.
C)goals the group is seeking.
D)extent to which the group is perceived to be a real group.
E)qualities of the members of the group.

Question 64

Which of the following was NOT identified as a cue that signals entitativity by Campbell (1958a)?

A)common fate
B)groupmind
C)similarity
D)proximity
E)permeability

Question 65

A fraternity,professional sports team,the Supreme Court,and the board of directors for a company are all examples of ___ groups.

A)primary
B)self-organizing
C)open
D)closed
E)decisional

Question 66

If you had to choose only one aspect of a group to study,you would probably learn the most by studying its

A)boundaries
B)goals
C)cohesiveness
D)structure
E)communication

Question 67

Some groups are more unified than others.These groups are

A)entitative.
B)cohesive.
C)structured.
D)self-organizing.
E)teams.

Question 68

In general,the interdependencies of members in groups are

A)symmetric rather than asymmetric.
B)equal rather than unequal.
C)Intermittent rather than continuous.
D)unequal rather than equal.

Question 69

Interdependence is a key quality of groups and it requires that

A)all members of the group influence each other equally.
B)members' outcomes depend,in part,on the actions of others in the group.
C)influence is reciprocal,in the sense that if A influences B,then B influences A.
D)group members share a common goal.

Question 70

Which of the following is task-focused rather than relationship-focused?

A)feeling anger toward a coworker
B)complimenting a group member after a presentation
C)asking the group members if they are happy with the decision
D)offering a good solution to the problem the group faces

Question 71

In McGrath's theory of group tasks,a group of electricians installing the wiring of building under construction is engaged in a(n)___ task.

A)discussion
B)generating
C)choosing
D)negotiating
E)executing

Question 72

Which of the following words is important to remember when distinguishing between a typical group and a network?

A)Interaction
B)Boundary
C)Relations
D)Ties
E)Communication

Question 73

Dunbar (2008)argues that humans function best in groups of 150 members or less because of the

A)logistical complexity of organizing large groups.
B)limited capacity of human's brains.
C)difficulty leaders have when leading very large groups.
D)tendency for larger groups to break up into smaller ones.

Question 74

How many relationships would be needed to link all members of a 20-person group?

A)almost 200
B)20,but 40 if counting connections to the group itself.
C)it depends on the group's overall cohesiveness
D)105

Question 75

Bystanders at a crime scene,crowds,customers at a club,gangs,families,friendship networks in work settings,mobs,and people waiting to board an airplane are all examples of ___ groups.

A)concocted
B)founded
C)circumstantial
D)self-organizing
E)planned

Question 76

Identify the example of noninterdependence.

A)A acts in ways that influence both B and C,but B and C do not know that.
B)A influences B,and B influences only C.
C)A influences B and C,but B and C cannot influence A.
D)A influences B more than B influences A.
E)All those listed are examples of interdependence.

Question 77

You note that Don is the leader,LaDelle complies with the group's norms,and Don is well-liked by LaDelle but not by Gregory.You are describing the group's

A)structure.
B)entitativity.
C)interaction.
D)goals.
E)cohesiveness.

Question 78

Emergent is to planned as ___ is to ___.

A)internal;external
B)concocted;founded
C)external;internal
D)unity;entitativity
E)circumstantial;concocted

Question 79

A network is a type of ___ group.

A)primary
B)social
C)open
D)closed
E)decisional

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic group goals identified by McGrath's model of group tasks?

A)discussing
B)generating
C)choosing
D)negotiating
E)executing