Group Dynamics Lectures
Lecture 1: Group Membership
Are groups real?
Consequences are real!
Person: social value orientation
Three orientations:
- Prosocial (CBA)
- Individualistic (BAC)
- Competitive (ACB)
SVO Predicts
1) Concessions in negotiations
2) Self sacrifice in partners in relations
3) Pro-environmental behaviour
4) Traffic behaviour
5) Donations
6) How people respond to others emotions
7) Cooperation within and between groups
Situation: Multi level categorization (nested)
Groups are nested between different groups, individuals are in nested groups
Entitativity
The extent to which a group seems to be a single unified entity - a real group
1) Similarity
2) Proximity
3) Common fate
Collective categorization
Identify more with the bigger group
Subgroup categorization
Making your own department, emphasizing there is another group as well
Could create more conflict
Less ingroup - outgroup categorization
(competition)
Personal categorization
Who you are dealing with
,Shared group membership
Members of many different groups, not just one
Goals may not align?
Warm vs cold side
Member of more than one groups but prefer one group more over another
Minimal groups
Based on trivial characteristics, people decide they feel more close to other people
E.g. overestimate vs underestimator
Behaviour = f (person x situation)
Prosocials more cooperative to ingroup than to outgroup members
Individuals less cooperative, regardless or the group membership
Level of categorization
Depends on identification
- Similarity and proximity
- Common fate
Psychology of group membership
Social comparison
People rely on others for information about themselves
Upward vs downward social comparison
Upward
- Feelings of jealousy
- Low self esteem
Downward
- Feelings of content
- High self esteem
Social comparison theory
1) Information motive ---> accurate information
2) Social validation motive ---> to be ok
---> to belong
Social validation motives are often more important!
,Social exclusion (ostracism)
Cyberball (frisbee)
Fundamentals needs are threatened
1) Need to belong (people want to be connected to others)
2) Need for control
3) Need for self esteem (value and respect)
4) Need for meaningful existence (purpose)
Pain network
Being left out of a group feels painful (brain regions)
Can be different for different personality types
Negative effects are very strong
● Face to face
● In internet chat rooms
● When it is unintentional
● When excluded by outgroup
● When excluded by people they loathe
● When computer is the source
Mitigating factors
1) Medicine (Paracetamol)
2) Money
People felt less bad when they took a painkiller (or placebos)
Financial compensation
- Less activation in dorsal ACC
- People felt less bad
Economics of group membership
Social exchange theory
R = relation / group membership
Taken in (re) consideration
CL = Comparison level
What can you expect from R?
CLalt = comparison level of alternatives
What can you expect from the available alternatives? (also no group)
, (dis)satisfied and (in)dependent
You can either be satisfied or dissatisfied from your group, and dependent or independent
1) Satisfied and dependent
- Stay with R
- Positive
- Alternative would be negative (would be worse off)
- Stable
2) Satisfied and independent
- Possibly break with R ---> transition costs?
- Positive, but alternative is even more positive
3) Dissatisfied and dependent
- Not satisfied, but alternatives are even worse
- Negative
- Might adjust comparison level?
4) Dissatisfied and independent
- Break with R
- Negative
- Alternative is way more attractive
- Transition costs?
- Stable
Lecture 1: Group Membership
Are groups real?
Consequences are real!
Person: social value orientation
Three orientations:
- Prosocial (CBA)
- Individualistic (BAC)
- Competitive (ACB)
SVO Predicts
1) Concessions in negotiations
2) Self sacrifice in partners in relations
3) Pro-environmental behaviour
4) Traffic behaviour
5) Donations
6) How people respond to others emotions
7) Cooperation within and between groups
Situation: Multi level categorization (nested)
Groups are nested between different groups, individuals are in nested groups
Entitativity
The extent to which a group seems to be a single unified entity - a real group
1) Similarity
2) Proximity
3) Common fate
Collective categorization
Identify more with the bigger group
Subgroup categorization
Making your own department, emphasizing there is another group as well
Could create more conflict
Less ingroup - outgroup categorization
(competition)
Personal categorization
Who you are dealing with
,Shared group membership
Members of many different groups, not just one
Goals may not align?
Warm vs cold side
Member of more than one groups but prefer one group more over another
Minimal groups
Based on trivial characteristics, people decide they feel more close to other people
E.g. overestimate vs underestimator
Behaviour = f (person x situation)
Prosocials more cooperative to ingroup than to outgroup members
Individuals less cooperative, regardless or the group membership
Level of categorization
Depends on identification
- Similarity and proximity
- Common fate
Psychology of group membership
Social comparison
People rely on others for information about themselves
Upward vs downward social comparison
Upward
- Feelings of jealousy
- Low self esteem
Downward
- Feelings of content
- High self esteem
Social comparison theory
1) Information motive ---> accurate information
2) Social validation motive ---> to be ok
---> to belong
Social validation motives are often more important!
,Social exclusion (ostracism)
Cyberball (frisbee)
Fundamentals needs are threatened
1) Need to belong (people want to be connected to others)
2) Need for control
3) Need for self esteem (value and respect)
4) Need for meaningful existence (purpose)
Pain network
Being left out of a group feels painful (brain regions)
Can be different for different personality types
Negative effects are very strong
● Face to face
● In internet chat rooms
● When it is unintentional
● When excluded by outgroup
● When excluded by people they loathe
● When computer is the source
Mitigating factors
1) Medicine (Paracetamol)
2) Money
People felt less bad when they took a painkiller (or placebos)
Financial compensation
- Less activation in dorsal ACC
- People felt less bad
Economics of group membership
Social exchange theory
R = relation / group membership
Taken in (re) consideration
CL = Comparison level
What can you expect from R?
CLalt = comparison level of alternatives
What can you expect from the available alternatives? (also no group)
, (dis)satisfied and (in)dependent
You can either be satisfied or dissatisfied from your group, and dependent or independent
1) Satisfied and dependent
- Stay with R
- Positive
- Alternative would be negative (would be worse off)
- Stable
2) Satisfied and independent
- Possibly break with R ---> transition costs?
- Positive, but alternative is even more positive
3) Dissatisfied and dependent
- Not satisfied, but alternatives are even worse
- Negative
- Might adjust comparison level?
4) Dissatisfied and independent
- Break with R
- Negative
- Alternative is way more attractive
- Transition costs?
- Stable
