What is a Group? History of Groups Outline Class Exercise What
is a group? Members of groups interact Groups have structure Groups
have goals Members identify themselves as a group Groups have two
or more members History of group dynamics Late 19 th Century &
LeBon Psychological Perspective Sociological Perspective Todays
Group Dynamics Dracula Exercise Slide 2 Class Exercise 1) List
everything you do in a typical day from the moment you wake up to
the moment you fall asleep. 2) Write at least ten different answers
to the following question: Who am I? 3) Count on your list all of
the activities you perform with groups and those you perform alone.
Calculate a percentage of group activities. 4) Count on your list
descriptions that include information about the groups we belong to
(and those that dont). Calculate a percentage. Slide 3 Members of
Groups Interact Groupness Size Interdependence Temporal pattern
Groups are groupier when they are small, able to interact on a
variety of issues, and have a past and envision a future Slide 4
Groups Have Structure Group structure Norms Roles Status Systems
Communication structure Structure Slide 5 Groups Have Goals Goals
Generating Choosing Negotiating Executing Tension between 2 goals:
Task accomplishment Socioemotional needs Slide 6 Members Identify
Themselves as a Group If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a
duck, it is a duck. a group exists when two or more people define
themselves as members of it and when its existence is recognized by
at least one other (Brown, 1988) Slide 7 Groups Have Two or More
Members Dyad 2 person group Group Two or more interacting,
interdependent people Slide 8 History of Group Dynamics: Late 19 th
Century & LeBon Study of groups began in late 1800s Roots in
psychology and sociology Collective mind (LeBon) Contagion Slide 9
Psychological Perspective Social facilitation Triplett (1898)
Noticed bicyclists performed better when riding with others Study
with children performing simple task either alone or with others.
Results: Children performed better when in the presence of others
compared to when alone But groups arent real Slide 10 Kurt Lewin
There is no more magic behind the fact that groups have properties
of their own, which are different than the properties of their
subgroups or their individual members, than behind the fact that
molecules have properties which are different from the properties
of the atoms or ions of which they are composed. -Lewin Groups
could be studied scientifically Field theory B = f (P, E) Lifespace
Research Center for Group Dynamics Adapted experimentation to the
problems of group life Slide 11 Lewin, Lippit & White Groups of
10- and 11-year- old boys to meet after school to work on various
hobbies. Each group included a man who adopted one of three
leadership styles Autocratic, democratic, or laissez-faire Results:
Autocratic: worked more only when leader watched; more hostile
Democratic: worked even when leader left Laissez-faire: Worked the
least Slide 12 There is nothing so practical as a good theory
Lewin: Theoretical and applied research should go hand in hand
Theory Practice Slide 13 Rodney Dangerfield Era Experimental model-
trying to gain respect Study of small groups, in the lab, with
undergraduates, manipulating one factor Cause-effect Research in
the 60s and 70s Conformity Group polarization Helping Social
facilitation Group aggression Slide 14 Research Example Bystander
Effect (Latane & Darley,1970) Study in Beverage Center Staged
robberies in stores When clerk went to back, 2 robbers stole
merchandise Conditions: Stole with only one other shopper Stole
with a few other shoppers Results: Alone shoppers more likely to
report theft! Slide 15 Limitations of Lab Experiments Cannot mimic
the complex environment Cannot mimic ebb and flow of groups over
time Slide 16 Sociological Perspective In 1950s sociologists looked
at groups as miniature social systems Forefathers of sociological
thought: Durkheim Cooley Mead New Measurement techniques:
Sociometry Interaction Process Analysis Slide 17 Todays Group
Dynamics Today, research is conducted by a variety of disciplines
Psychologists, communication researchers, social workers,
sociologists Today group dynamics researchers use a variety of
research methods Much research focuses on real world groups Slide
18 Dracula Exercise This problem solving exercise will be a good
introduction to group dynamics. TASKS: 1) Read situation sheet 2)
Individually create a plan 3) Individually rank items from most
important to least important 4) As a group, rank items again 5)
Score your own and your groups ranking 1) Use answer sheet and
compute absolute values 2) The lower the score the better! Slide 19
Dracula Exercise Answer the following questions. What is the groups
goal What were the patterns of communication? How did leadership
emerge in the group? What determined how influential each member
was? What method of decision making was used and how effective was
it? Why/why didnt members challenge each other? What conflict arose
and how were they managed? What actions by the group members
helped/hurt the team?