Group Dynamics - Midterm 1 (Ch 1-5) exam with 100% correct answers

Group Dynamics The actions, processes, and changes that occur within groups and between groups Group Two or more individuals who are connected by and within social relationships Membership The state of belonging to, or being included in, a social group; also the collective body of all members of a group social network A set of interpersonally interconnected individuals or groups Online Group (e-group) Two or more individuals who interact with each other solely or primarily through computer based information technologies rather than face to face interaction Offline group Two or more individuals whose interaction with each other occur primarily or solely in conventional, face-to-face situations and not via computer based technology Task Interaction The conjointly adjusted actions of group members that pertain to the group's projects, tasks and goals Relationship Interaction (socioemotional interaction) The conjointly adjusted actions of group members that relate to or influence the nature and strength of the emotional and interpersonal bonds within the group, including both sustainig and undermining actions Interdependence Mutual dependence, as when one's outcomes, actions, thoughts, feelings and experiences are influences, to some degree, by other people Group Structure The persistent and interrelated features of a group, such as roles and norms, that influence the functioning of the group as a whole and create regularities in the interactions of its members Role A socially shared set of behaviors, characteristics and responsibilities expected of people who occupy a particular position or type of position within a group, individuals establish regular patterns of exchange with one another than increase predictability and social coordination Norm A consensual and often implicit standard that describes what behaviors should and should not be performed in a given context Group Cohesion The solidarity or unity of a group resulting from the development of strong and mutual interpersonal bonds among members and group-level forces that unify the group such as shared commitment to group goals Primary Group A small, long term group characterized by frequent interaction, solidarity and high levels of interdependence among members that substantially influences the attitudes, values and social outcomes of its members Social Group A relatively small number of individuals who interact with one another over an extended period of time such as work group or club Collective A relatively large aggregation or group of individuals who display similarities in actions and outlook. A street crowd or line of people Social Category A perceptual grouping of people who are assumed to be similar to one another in some ways but different in some ways from individuals who are not members of that grouping Social Identity An individual's sense of self derived from relationships and memberships in groups, also those aspects of the self that are assumed to be common to most or all of the members of the same group or social category Entitativity The apparent cohesiveness or unity of an assemblage of individuals, the quality of being a single entity rather than a set of independent, unrelated individuals Thomas Theorem The theoretical premise that maintains that people's understanding of a social situation, even if incorrect, will determine their reactions in the situation "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences" Stereotype A socially shared set of qualities, characteristics and behavioral expectations ascribed to a particular group or category of people Essentialism The belief that all things, including individuals and groups have a basic nature that makes them what they are and distinguishes them from other things; a thing's essence is usually inferred rather than directly observed and is generally assumed to be relatively unchanging Paradigm Scientist's shared assumptions about the phenomena they study, also a set of research procedures Level of Analysis The focus of study when examining a multilevel process or phenomenon, such as the micro level (individuals in a group), the meso-level (the group) or the macro level (the organization or society where the group is located) Group Fallacy Explaining social phenomena in terms of the group as a whole instead of basing the explanation on the individual level processes within the group, ascribing psychological qualities such as will, intentionality and ming to a group rather than to the individuals in the group Group Mind (Collective Consciousness) A hypothetical unifying mental force linking group members together, the fusion of individual consciousness or mind into a transcendent consciousness B= f(P,E) The law of interactionism that states each person's behavior (B) is a function of his or her personal qualities (P), the social environment (E) and the interaction of these personal qualities with factors present in the social setting (Kurt Lewin) Group Development Patterns of change in a group's structure and interactions that occur over the course of the group's existence Multilevel Perspective The view that recognizes that a complete explanation of group processes and phenomena requires multiple levels of analysis, including micro, meso and macro levels Action Research Scientific inquiry that both expands basic theoretical knowledge and identifies solutions to significant social problems Observation A measurement method that involves watching a recording the activities of individuals and groups Overt Observation Openly watching and recording information with no attempt to conceal one's research purposes Covert Observation Watching and recording information on the activities of individuals and groups without their knowledge Participant Observation Watching and recording group activities as a member of the group or participation in the social process Hawthorne Effect The change in behavior that occurs when individuals know they are being observed or studied Qualitative Study A research procedure that collects and analyzes nonnumeric, unquantified types of data such as verbal descriptions, text, images or objects Structured observational method A research procedure that creates a systematic record of group interaction and activities by classifying (coding) each over expression or action into a defined category