Psychology 4 Marks Question

Determinants of cooperation and competition:

1. Reward structure– whether people will cooperate or compete will depend on the reward structure.
2. Interpersonal communication– good interpersonal communication will result in cooperation.
3. Reciprocity– people feel obliged to return what they get.

Strategies for resolving conflicts:

• Introduction of superordinate goals.
• Altering perceptions.
• Increasing intergroup contacts.
• Redrawing group boundaries.
• Negotiations.
• Structural solutions.
• Respect for other group's norms.

Four elements of group structure are:

• Role.
• Norms.
• Status.
• Cohesiveness.

Social Loafing - is a reduction in individual's effort when working on a collective task i.e. one in which outputs are pooled with those of other group members e.g. tug of war.
How social loafing can be reduced:

• Making efforts of each person identifiable.
• Increasing group members' commitment to successful task performance.
• Increasing the apparent importance or value of a task.
• Making people feel that their contribution to the task is unique and important.
• Strengthening group cohesiveness which increases the concern for group outcomes.

Major causes of inter group conflict are:

1. Lack of communication: Lack of communication or faulty of communication leads to suspicion, i.e., there is lack of trust hence, conflict results.
2. Relative deprivation: It arises when members of a group compare themselves with members of another group, and perceive that they do not have what they desire to have, which the other group has. It lead to feelings of deprivation and discontentment, which may trigger of conflict.
3. Belief of being superior to the other: One may often witness a tendency to magnify even smaller differences, thereby, conflict gets esculated because every member wants to respect the norms of her/his group.
4. Biased perception: These are at the root conflicts. As already mentioned earlier, feeling of ‘they’ and ‘we’ lead to biased perceptions.

Social loafing is a reduction in individual’s effort when working on a collective task i.e. task in which outputs are pooled with those of other group members. It is not whole hearted involvement of an individual in a task performed. e.g. Tug of war, Clapping by students in morning assembly.

People show obedience when:

• People feel they are not responsible for their action.
• People find it difficult to resist authority as it possesses symbol of status.
• Authority gradually increases command from lesser to greater levels and initial obedience binds the followers.
• Events move at a fast speed, one has no time to think.

Stages of Group Formation:

1. Forming Stage.
2. Storming.
3. Norming.
4. Performing.
5. Adjourning.

Social loafing– is a reduction in individual effort when working on a collective task i.e. one in which outputs are pooled with those of other group members.
Example– Tug of war.
Experiment– latane/clapping.

Elements of group structure are:

• Role.
• Norms.
• Status.
• Cohesiveness.

Conformity is a type of social influence in which individuals change their behaviour or belief to correspond more closely to the behaviour of others in the group i.e. behaving according to the group norms.
Determinants of conformity.

1. Size of group.
2. Size of minority.
3. Nature of the task.
4. Public or private expression of behaviour.
5. Personality.
6. Informational influence.
7. Normative influence.

Conflict Resolution Strategies:

1. Introduction of superordinate goals.
2. Altering perceptions.
3. Increasing intergroup contacts.
4. Redrawing group boundaries.
5. Negotiations.
6. Structural solutions.
7. Respect for other group's norms.

Group polarisation is strengthening of the initial position after group discussion which result in taking extreme positions i.e. from very weak to very strong decisions Due to 3 reasons.

• In company of like minded people, one finds favour for ones viewpoints.
• One finds validation by public–bandwagon effect.
• Leads to perception of people as in-group, which results in conformity, thereby strengthening the views.

Determinants of conformity:

• Size of group.
• Size of the minority.
• Nature of the task.
• Public or private explanation of behaviour.
• Personality.
• Informational influence.
• Normative influence.

Stages of Group Formation
Forming: Excitement, apprehension, uncertainty about the group, the goal and planning.
Storming: Conflicts among members because of roles, hierarchy and goal attainment.
Norming: Setting the rules and developing positive group identity.
Performing: Group moves towards achievement of group goals.
Adjourning: May or may not be required.

Incident of Social Loafing-anyone example
Causes of Social Loafing:

1. Feeling of less responsibility.
2. Level of motivation decreases as members realise that - contribution of each individual will not be evaluated.
3. Performance of one group not compared with that of other group.
4. No coordination/improper coordination among members.
5. Belonging to a group is not important - It is only an aggregate of individuals.

Methods to reduce Social Loafing:

1. Identify efforts of each member of group.
2. Make members committed to successful task performance.
3. Increasing the apparent importance or value of a task.
4. Members are given understanding that individual contribution is important.
5. Increase or strengthen group cohesiveness to enhance motivation.

Choosing a relevant international conflict:Conflict Resolution strategies:

• Super ordinate goals.
• Altering perceptions.
• Increasing intergroup contacts.
• Redrawing group boundaries.
• Negotiations.
• Respect for other group’s norms.
• Structural solutions (May not be appropriate for international conflict).
• Application of any three strategies in relevance to the chosen conflict.

According to Tuckman, group formation takes place in following stages:

1. Forming Stage: When group-members first meet, there is a great deal of uncertainty about the group, the goal, and how it is to be achieved.
2. Storming: There is a stage of intergroup conflict. There is conflict among members about how the target of the group is to be achieved, who is to control the group and its resources, and who is to perform what task.
3. Norming: Group-members by this time develop norms related to group behaviour. This leads to development of a positive group identity.
4. Performing: At this stage, the structure of the group has evolved and is accepted by group-members. The group moves towards achieving the group goal.
5. Adjourning Stage: In this stage, once the function is over or goal is achieved, the group may be disbanded.

These stages help in group formation. Which occurs on the basis of following factors:

1. Proximity: Individuals with similar background, living in the same complex (e.g., going to the same school) may form groups on the basis of proximity.
2. Similarity: It has been observed that more the similarity in the attitudes, interest, beliefs and value system of two persons, greater the likelihood that they would form a group.
3. Common Motives and Goals: When a number of people have common objectives or goals, they tend to get together and form a group.

Definitely I am member of various groups. In other words, I will say that there is no dimension of life where I am not related to a group because we all are social beings and for everything, we are dependent on this or that group. There are various reasons which motivate me and everybody to join a group.
Some of them are as follows:

1. Security: Groups reduce the feeling of insecurity. Being with people gives a sense of comfort and protection.
2. Status: When the group is perceived as important high profile and well known, then the members also feel recognized and ‘experience a sense of power’, e.g., being a student of high profile school.
3. Self-esteem: Being a member of a prestigious group enhances the individual’s self-concept.
4. Satisfaction of one’s Psychological and Social Needs: Groups satisfy one’s social and psychological needs such as sense of belongingness, giving and receiving attention, love and power.
5. Group Achievement: Groups help in achieving the goals which cannot be attained individually.
6. Provide Knowledge and Information: Group membership provides us knowledge and information and broadens our views.

Formal Groups:

1. The functions of a formal group are explicitly stated, as in an office organization, or social work club.
2. They have rigidly stated functions and the roles of the members are well-defined or imposed.
3. Formal groups have a chain of command for decision-making, e.g., military or bureaucracy.

Informal Groups:

1. Informal decision-making process may exist as parallel mechanisms.
2. Members of informal groups usually feel more comfortable to take decision in informal settings, e.g., tea time group or lunch group.
3. There are no elicit rules and regulations for informal group.

In-group:

1. It is generally considered as 'me, my, we, or our' group.
2. People in in-group are viewed as having desirable behaviour and admirable traits.
3. It is always good, strong, cohesive, kind-hearted, open, relaxing and cool.

Out-group:

1. It is considered as 'they' group.
2. Members are often perceived negatively.
3. It is always bad, dirty, damaging, dangerous and has people with negative emotions.