Group Dynamics

elective courses

In this course, we will consider group tasks and group decisions from a social psychological perspective. We will address important questions with regards to how individuals and groups mutually influence one another, whether a group is “greater than the sum of its parts”, and what strategies can be used to make groups more effective. We will apply psychological theories of groups to settings such as juries, teams, work groups, and government.

It is likely that groups have played an integral role in human interactions since hunters and gatherers began banding together to promote survival in evolutionary times. Since then, groups have grown in size and complexity to the point where interaction with and participation in groups is an almost unavoidable feature of human life.

The groups that are important to us vary widely across a variety of features. First, groups have many different purposes: a task group may be assigned to produce goods for a business, decision-making groups may need to determine whether a defendant should be sentenced to jail, and social groups may be focused on improving the well-being of members.

Second, groups can have a variety of different structures. This has to do with questions like how work is divided, what roles each member has, and who has the final say in making decisions.

Third, groups can vary widely in duration. A group of people sharing a cab may last only a few moments, work groups may last for years, and a family may last for generations. Finally, groups can vary in size from a few people to full-scale societies. In this course, we will consider the wide range of possibilities for groups, but will focus mostly on small groups that complete tasks or make decisions.

The course will begin with an introduction to basic questions about groups and an overview of the course (Unit 1). The second part of the course (Unit 2-4) will be focused on group tasks. This will address questions of how group influence affects motivation and performance on tasks. We will consider different types of tasks and group structures. The third part of the course (Unit 5-7) will turn to group decision-making. We will consider the dynamic processes of how groups arrive at decisions in different contexts. Finally, we will consider teams as a special type of group (Unit 8).

Course text:

- Baron, R. S., & Kerr, N. L. (2003). Group processes, group decision, group action. New York, NY, USA: Open University Press.

Supplementary Readings:

- Blascovich, J., Berry Mendes, W., Hunter, S. B., Salomon, K. (1999). Social “facilitation” as challenge and threat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 68-77.

- Forsyth, D. R. (2010). Group dynamics (5th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

- Kerr, N. L., Messé, L. A., Seok, D., Sambolec, E. J., Lount, R. B., Jr., & Park, E. S. (2007). Psychological mechanisms underlying the köhler motivation gain. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(6), 828-841. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146167207301020

- Krizan, Z., & Baron, R. S. (2006). Group polarization and choice-dilemmas: How important Is self-categorization? European Journal of Social Psychology, 37, 191-201. doi: 10.1002/ejsp.345

- Lickel, B., Rutchick, A. M., Hamilton, D. L., & Sherman, S. J. (2006). Intuitive theories of group types and relational principles. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42, 28-39. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2005.01.007

- Van Beest, I., & Williams, K. (2006). When inclusion costs and ostracism pays, ostracism still hurts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 918-928.

- Effectively work in groups to complete coursework.

- Define and classify types of groups and tasks based on the key features.

- Describe how individuals and groups influence each other through social pressures.

- Identify key factors that determine the effectiveness of task groups and decision-making groups.

Quizzes: For each unit, there will be a short quiz based on the reading covered. The quizzes will be multiple choice and short answer. There will be a total of 8 quizzes, but only the 6 highest scores will count for each student. This makes it possible to miss two quizzes without any penalty. (60% of grade)

Group Assignments: Based on the group activities for each unit, students will be expected to complete assignments in groups. The assignments will be provided during class and may be collected at the end of class or assigned as homework. There will be a total of 10 in class assignments, but only the 8 highest grades will count. (40% of grade)

Students must respect the principles of academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism (including copying work from other students, internet or other sources) are serious violations that are punishable and instructors are required to report all cases to the administration.

A student may have up to 4 hours (2 class sessions) of unexcused absences without a penalty. Additional unexcused absences will result in losing points for missed work.

Additionally, a student may have up to 4 hours (2 class sessions) of excused absences without a penalty. Additional excused absences will result in losing points for missed work.

Students must respect the principles of academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism (including copying work from other students, internet or other sources) are serious violations that are punishable and instructors are required to report all cases to the administration.