Psychology Group Development and Attachment Theory

Social Groups and Group Processes

• Groups are defined by size: Dyads (2 people), small groups (3-6), groups (3-30)
• Group size influences interaction and enables face-to-face contact.
• Sense of connectedness is the degree people feel united as a team, sharing a sense of belonging.
• Intimacy groups include family, friends, romantic partners.
• Formal groups have structure imposed from without, while informal groups are spontaneous.
• In-groups are groups one is affiliated with and out-groups are groups one is not part of.
• Task groups are made for specific projects, such as sports teams or work projects.
• Social categories are groups structured by social characteristics, such as "women" or "Germans".
• Loose associations are people in the same area, such as those at a bus stop, but with little ongoing interaction.

Types of Groups

• High connectedness is associated with higher levels of interaction, common goals, shared outcomes, perceived similarity and a longer duration of the group.
• Groups are formed for reasons such as sociobiological drives, cognitive needs, and utilitarian needs.
• Social comparison is helpful in understanding the self.
• Satisfaction of needs for bonding, self-esteem, and a social identity are also motivators for joining a group.

Group Dynamics and Stages of Development

• Tuckman's stages of group development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning) highlight the process of group formation.
• "Forming" is where members get to know each other. Uncertainty and high concerns are present.
• "Storming" involves resistance to leaders, disagreements, and high conflict.
• "Norming" involves consensus-building and establishing common goals. High friendship and cohesion are typical.
• "Performing" involves working toward group goals and high performance orientation.
• "Adjourning" is where the group disbands.
• Not all groups pass through all 5 stages.

Organizational Socialization Model

• Moreland and Levine (1982) stages of group socialization (Entry, Investigation, Socialization, Maintenance, Divergence, Resocialization, Remembrance).
• Group commitment is psychological bond with the group's goals.
• Initial rituals welcome new members.
• Socialization allows new members to learn group norms, acquire skills, and learn how to function as a member of the group.
• Maintenance phase requires negotiation and role assignment.
• Divergence is when the group and member depart.
• Resocialization attempts to bring back someone who has exited the group.
• Remembrance is where exiting and remaining members discuss their experiences of the group and the process.

Social Psychology Definition and Methods

• Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behavior are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others.
• "Actual presence" = present physically; "imagined presence" = influences of others in their minds; "implied presence" = social roles and cultural norms.
• Research strategies aim to understand cognitive and emotional processes, leading to behavioral reactions.
• Empirical research, theories, and methods are involved in this study.

Experiment Types

• Experiment method involves manipulating something in a situation to study its effect.
• Only way to determine cause-and-effect relations.

Observational Methods

• Observational methods involve recording behaviors or events.
• Can be covert (participants unaware) or overt (participants aware).
• Qualitative data analysis is used in observational research.

Ethical Considerations

• Research participants must not be harmed (physically or psychologically)
• Informed consent must be obtained from participants.
• Deception should be scientifically justified and ethically permissible.
• Participants should be debriefed about the true nature of the research.
• Findings should be reported truthfully.

Self-Knowledge

• Introspection is the process of observing and examining one's inner states.
• Self-perception theory suggests that when inner states are ambiguous we look to behavior to figure them out.
• Social comparison is a process of comparing self with others to evaluate our own opinions and abilities.

Social Identity and Self-Categorization

• Social identity theory suggests that the groups we identify with inform our self-concept.
• People are motivated to contrast their in-groups with out-groups favorably.
• Self-categorization theory proposes a cognitive process of categorizing ourselves as belonging to different social groups.
• Inconsistent self-representation might lead to dissonance.

The Motivational Functions of Self

• The self-assessment and self-verification motives describe individuals desire for accurate and coherent self-representation.
• Self-enhancement motive explains how people want to see the self as positive.
• People tend to overestimate their own talents and abilities, often attributing successes to internal factors (e.g. skills, effort) and failures to external factors (e.g. bad luck, or distractions).

Self-regulation

• Self-regulation is the control and direction of behavior to achieve goals.
• It involves monitoring behavior, comparing it to standards, and making adjustments as needed.
• Effective self-regulation can improve cognitive, emotional, and behavioral abilities.

The Self-Determination Theory

• The theory states that people are motivated to feel autonomous, competent, and connected to others.
• This theory supports the importance of these factors.

The General Aggression Model (GAM)

• The model integrates personal and situational variables.
• The GAM helps to understand how various factors influence the development of aggressive behaviors and outcomes.

Social Influence, Conformity, and Obedience

• Social influence is how one person's feelings, thoughts, and behavior affect another.
• Conformity involves adjusting thoughts, feelings, and actions to match a group's norms.
• Informational and normative influences are motivators for conformity.
• Obedience, as seen in Milgram's work, highlights the impact of authority on behaviors.
• Techniques to induce compliance, such as the door-in-the-face, that-not-all, and foot-in-the-door, can be very effective.

Prosocial Behavior

• Prosocial behavior involves actions intended to help others.
• Altruism is a kind of prosocial behavior, with potential costs to the helper.
• Factors such as empathy, proximity, and the perception of the need for help influence whether someone engages in prosocial behavior and its effectiveness.

Attitudes

• Attitudes are a person's overall evaluations of a thing/object/concept/etc.
• Attitudes have cognitive, affective, and behavioral components.
• Inconsistency between components can create dissonance.
• Attitudes can shape behavior and be influenced by experiences, and the actions of others.

Aggression

• Aggression is behavior intended to cause harm or pain to another.
• Aggression can be instrumental (to achieve a goal) or hostile (to inflict harm).
• Frustration, media violence, alcohol, and individual differences can contribute to aggression.
• Strategies to prevent aggression focus on reducing stressors and using positive reinforcement.