What is a Group? History of Groups Outline Class Exercise What is a group? History of group dynamics Members of groups interact Groups have structure Groups have goals Members identify themselves as a group Groups have two or more members Late 19th Century & LeBon Psychological Perspective Sociological Perspective Today’s Group Dynamics Dracula Exercise 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 don’t). Calculate a percentage. 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 Groups Have Structure Group structure Norms Roles Status Systems Communication structure Structure Groups Have Goals Goals Generating Choosing Negotiating Executing Tension between 2 goals: Task accomplishment Socioemotional needs 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) Groups Have Two or More Members Dyad 2 person group Group Two or more interacting, interdependent people History of Group Dynamics: Late 19th Century & LeBon Study of groups began in late 1800s Roots in psychology and sociology Collective mind (LeBon) Contagion 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 aren’t real… 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 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 ‘There is nothing so practical as a good theory’ Lewin: Theoretical and applied research should go hand in hand Theory Practice 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 Research Example Bystander Effect (Latane & Darley,1970) Study in Beverage Center Conditions: Staged robberies in stores When clerk went to back, 2 robbers stole merchandise Stole with only one other shopper Stole with a few other shoppers Results: Alone shoppers more likely to report theft! Limitations of Lab Experiments Cannot mimic the complex environment Cannot mimic ebb and flow of groups over time 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 Today’s 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 Dracula Exercise This problem solving exercise will be a good introduction to group dynamics. TASKS: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Read situation sheet Individually create a plan Individually rank items from most important to least important As a group, rank items again Score your own and your groups ranking 1) 2) Use answer sheet and compute absolute values The lower the score the better! Dracula Exercise Answer the following questions. What is the group’s 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 didn’t members challenge each other? What conflict arose and how were they managed? What actions by the group members helped/hurt the team?