Groups Unit 1

• In psychology, a social group is more than a mere collection of individuals and includes:

  • Social interaction
  • Common goals
  • Sense of belonging
• Groups are among the most stable and enduring social units
• Group psychology examines individual behavior, thought processes, and emotions within group settings
• Key concepts in group psychology include:

  • Norms
  • Roles
  • Status
  • Membership
  • Cohesion
  • Consensus
  • Conformity
  • Cooperation
  • Commitment
• Early social theorists like Plato and Aristotle discussed social structures and group influence
• Floyd Allport revolutionized the field by proposing that an individual's behavior changes in the presence of others
• Kurt Lewin conducted research on leadership styles and group decision-making processes
• Solomon Asch studied how individuals yield or defy a majority group in the Asch Conformity Experiments
• Stanley Milgram conducted obedience experiments where participants were instructed to administer electric shocks to others
• Group dynamics refer to the changes and effects of group membership on individual members
• Social perception involves how people form impressions and make inferences about others, including stereotypes and prejudices
• Social categorization is the cognitive process through which individuals categorize people into groups
• Ethnocentrism and outgroup homogeneity effect influence social categorization
• Social influence refers to how individuals and groups affect the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors of others
• Conformity is a persuasive example of social influence, but individuals may resist pressure in certain situations
• Groups can affect individuals' thoughts and actions in profound ways
• Floyd Allport's Contributions to Social Psychology:

  • Founder of modern social psychology, shifted focus to study individual behaviors and attitudes
  • Introduced concepts of social facilitation and producing tendency
  • Developed original technique for attitude measurement
• Kurt Lewin's Field Theory:

  • Emphasized importance of life space in influencing individual behavior
  • Individuals seek equilibrium in psychological field, motivated to change behavior to restore equilibrium
  • Offers holistic approach to understanding human behavior, importance of context and dynamic nature of human experience
• Asch Conformity Experiments:

  • Explored extent of people conforming to group norms and social pressure
  • Participants faced dilemma between trusting own judgment and conforming to incorrect group consensus
  • Level of conformity influenced by group size, unanimity, and task difficulty
• Milgram Obedience Experiments:

  • Investigated factors leading people to obey orders to harm others and psychological mechanisms involved in obedience to authority
  • Participants administered electric shocks up to 450 volts, citing obedience to authority figure as primary reason
  • Experiments had lasting impact on understanding human behavior in situations of authority and obedience
• Kurt Lewin is known as the father of social psychology, conducted extensive research on leadership styles (autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire), and group decision-making processes, highlighting how these influence group behaviour

  and productivity.
• Floyd Allport revolutionized the field proposing that an individual’s behaviour undergoes a significant alteration because of the presence of others, as opposed to when they are alone. This marked a pivotal shift towards understanding the profound impact of group dynamics on personal behaviour.
• Soloman Asch studied how individuals yielded or defied a majority group and the effects of such influences in the Asch Conformity Experiments
• Stanley Milgram who was heavily affected by the events of the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trials, gained notoriety for controversial obedience experiments in which participants were instructed to administer electric shock to others