Group Behavior

Why do people sometimes behave in

groups in ways they wouldnt behave
if alone?
Gustave LeBon (1896). The
Crowd.
Individuals in crowds adopt a
group mind
The group mind is totally
emotional and irrational

Why do people sometimes behave in

groups in ways they wouldnt behave
if alone?
New theories developed in the
1960s
No unanimity in crowd behavior/ no
collective group mind
What is it about being in a crowd
that may lead us to behave
differently?

Why do people sometimes behave

differently in groups?
Deindividuation: a loss of personal
responsibility that occurs in group
situations that foster anonymity
Trick or Treat Studies
Kids in group took more candy
If asked name or mirror present,
took less
10 year old car study
White Hoods Study

Does deindividuation always lead

to negative behavior?
Nurses uniform study
Conclusion? Deindividuation causes us to
be less self-conscious (or less selfaware) and more responsive to cues in
the situation.
How to reduce it? Make people
identifiable or self-aware

How do groups make decisions?

How good are those decisions?
Peter is an earnest young state representative who
would like to run for governor of his state. He has a
good reputation of being a conscientious leader and
several important legislators have pledged to support
him if he runs. However, his opponent is the
incumbent governor, who has a well-organized political
machine behind him, so it would not be an easy
campaign. Peter should run for office only if his
chances of winning are:
___ 10%
____ 40%
____ 70%___ 100%
___ 20%
____ 50%
____ 80%
___ 30%
____ 60%
____ 90%

How do groups make

decisions?
Risky shift: tendency for
groups to make riskier
decisions than individuals

How do groups make

decisions?
Roger, who has two kids and a low-paying job,
just heard that the stock of an unknown
company may soon triple if its new product is
received favorably. Of course, the stock may
decline if the product flops. Roger should sell
his life insurance policy to invest in the company
only if the chances of the stock doing well are:
___ 10%
___ 20%
___ 30%

____ 40%
____ 50%
____ 60%

____ 70%
____ 80%
____ 90%

___ 100%

How do groups make

decisions?
Conservative shift: tendency
for groups to make more
cautious decisions than
individuals

Reconciling Risky Shift and

Conservative Shift
The resolution?
Depends on individuals initial
leanings prior to group
discussion
Group polarization: When group
discussion strengthens individuals
pre-existing tendencies

Why can group discussion lead

to more extreme judgments?
Informational Influence

Group discussion (usually) produces more

ideas in favor of the dominant viewpoint
than any one individual would think of
themselves.

Normative Influence

we may express stronger opinions after

discovering that others share our views
so that others will accept us

Conclusions
Groups are not always bad
Purpose is to highlight how
and when group behavior can
go wrong so we can work to
limit negative group behavior