Question 1

People in individualistic societies are more likely to join multiple performance groups because

Accepted Answer

People in individualistic societies value personal choice and autonomy, and may seek out multiple performance groups to fulfill their individual needs and interests at any given moment. They may not feel as strong of a need "to belong" or prioritize the needs of the group over their own.

Question 2

Social loafing is

Accepted Answer

Social loafing occurs when individuals exert less effort when working in a group compared to when they work alone, often due to a sense of reduced personal responsibility or a belief that their individual contributions are not as important.

Question 3

The text lists all of the following as goals for joining groups EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

The text lists three goals for joining groups: to gain positions of leadership, to get things done, and to make accurate acquire and share information. Seeking mental efficiency is not mentioned as a goal for joining groups in the text.

Question 4

Joey is hoping to get an "A" in his social psychology class, but is concerned about his low grade on the first exam. What will make it more likely that Joey will join a study group with Rachel and Monica?

Accepted Answer

Joey's motivation to join the study group is likely based on his desire to improve his grade. Therefore, if he believes that studying with the group will help him achieve that goal, he is more likely to join the group. The other options are less relevant to his decision-making process.

Question 5

During the cold war years, the collective Russian farms had spectacularly low yields, whereas small, private plots kept by Russian citizens had phenomenally high yields. One reason for the poor production output of large, collective Soviet farms is

Accepted Answer

Social loafing refers to the tendency of individuals to put in less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone. This phenomenon likely contributed to the low yields on collective farms, as workers may have felt less individually accountable for the output.

Question 6

Whereas_________________are expectations for how all group members should behave,__________________________________are expectations for how particular group members should behave.

Accepted Answer

Injunctive norms refer to the perceived rules of behavior within a group, indicating what members ought to do in various situations. Roles, on the other hand, are expectations about how specific individuals in particular positions within the group should behave, reflecting the division of responsibilities and behaviors among group members.

Question 7

Teams with high interpersonal cohesiveness are good at_________________but susceptible to .

Accepted Answer

Teams with high interpersonal cohesiveness are good at communication because they have strong bonds and relationships with each other. However, they may be susceptible to poor decision making because their cohesiveness can lead to groupthink, where members prioritize harmony over critical thinking and independent opinions. This can result in decisions being made without considering all available options or potential consequences.

Question 8

One effective way to reduce social loafing is to

Accepted Answer

Giving the task special meaning can help reduce social loafing because it encourages group members to feel more invested in the task and perceive it as important. When people believe a task is important or meaningful, they are more likely to work hard and contribute their full effort, which can decrease social loafing.

Question 9

Social loafing is LESS likely to occur when

Accepted Answer

When each member's contributions are identifiable, they are more likely to feel accountable for their own work and less likely to engage in social loafing. In contrast, when contributions are not identifiable, individual members may feel less responsible for the outcome and therefore may be more likely to slack off.

Question 10

Roles, status hierarchy, and a communication network are components of

Accepted Answer

Roles, status hierarchy, and a communication network are all elements of a group's structure, which refers to the way in which a group is organized and the relationships among group members. The other options are not directly related to these components of group structure.

Question 11

The two types of cohesiveness described in the textbook are

Accepted Answer

The two types of cohesiveness described in the textbook are task cohesiveness, which refers to the group's commitment to achieving a common goal or task, and interpersonal cohesiveness, which refers to the degree of liking, mutual respect, and camaraderie among group members. Option D is correct because it includes both task and interpersonal cohesiveness. Option A and C do not accurately describe the two types, and option B only includes task cohesiveness.

Question 12

Imagine you are an efficiency consultant with social psychological training and the local pickle company asks you to help it increase individual pickle packing productivity. Considering the phenomenon of social loafing, you should recommend

Accepted Answer

Social loafing is the phenomenon where individuals exert less effort when working in a group. By making individual packing productivity identifiable in some way, such as by tracking the number of pickles packed by each employee, employees will be more likely to exert effort and avoid social loafing. Therefore, option D is the best choice. Options A and B both involve increasing the number of employees packing pickles which may not necessarily address social loafing. Option C is unrelated to addressing social loafing.

Question 13

Aspects of "real" groups include

Accepted Answer

Real groups have structure and interdependence among members.

Question 14

Social scientists have found that computer simulations of human social behavior

Accepted Answer

Social scientists have found that computer simulations of human social behavior can be useful for explaining current data and generating novel predictions. They can help identify factors that contribute to specific outcomes and can test potential interventions without the need for large-scale, expensive studies. However, caution must be taken in the interpretation of the results, as simulations may oversimplify or omit important variables that affect real-world behavior.

Question 15

Interdependence, group identity, and structured relations contribute to

Accepted Answer

Interdependence, group identity, and structured relations are all factors that contribute to defining a collection of individuals as a group. These factors help individuals perceive themselves as part of a group with a shared identity and shared goals. This is what distinguishes a group from a mere collection of individuals. Social facilitation refers to the phenomenon where the presence of others can enhance an individual's performance on a task, while minimal group effects refer to how even a minimal group categorization can lead to in-group favoritism and out-group derogation. Group polarization refers to the tendency for group discussion to lead to more extreme attitudes and decisions than individuals would make alone.

Question 16

In the Phi Upsilon Nu sorority at Upstate University, sisters expect each other to party hard on the weekends, to get multiple navel piercing, and to wear the color pink. This set of shared expectations of how group members ought to behave is called

Accepted Answer

Injunctive norms are shared expectations about how people ought to behave. In this case, the sisters of the sorority expect each other to behave in certain ways, such as partying hard on the weekends, getting multiple navel piercings, and wearing pink. These expectations are prescriptive, indicating what should be done, rather than descriptive, which would describe what is typically done.

Question 17

Working in groups can increase overall effectiveness or productivity when

Accepted Answer

In order for working in groups to increase effectiveness or productivity, it is important to be able to identify the contributions of each member of the group. When group members have different tasks and can contribute their unique skills and knowledge, a diverse range of ideas can lead to better outcomes. When a task is routine or all members have similar tasks, working in a group may not necessarily increase productivity. Similarly, if social loafing occurs (when individuals may not contribute as much effort when working in a group as they would if working alone), the overall effectiveness of the group may suffer.

Question 18

Lisa works on a team where all of the members are highly sociable. Her team should do particularly well on_________________tasks, but poorly on_________________tasks.

Accepted Answer

Teams with highly sociable members tend to excel in tasks that require interaction and communication, such as teaching. However, they might not perform as well in tasks that require a high level of concentration and individual focus, like accounting, which can be disrupted by social interactions.

Question 19

Ringelmann (1913) proposed that social loafing could partly be a result of

Accepted Answer

Ringelmann's theory suggests that social loafing occurs when individual efforts are not recognized or identified in group tasks, leading to decreased motivation and reduced efficiency. Poor coordination among workers may lead to increased ambiguity and confusion regarding individual responsibilities, leading to social loafing.

Question 20

People are more likely to join performance groups when

Accepted Answer

People are more likely to join performance groups when they worry they may fail as individuals because being in a group can diffuse the responsibility for the outcome, making the potential for individual failure less intimidating.

Quiz 12: Groups