Studying Groups
Chapter 2
How do researchers test their theories and
hypotheses about groups and their dynamics?
What Are the Three Critical Requirements
of a Scientific Study of Groups?
Theories that organize knowledge of
groups
Research procedures to test hypotheses
about groups
Reliable and valid measurement
What Methods Do Researchers Use to
Measure Individual and Group Processes?
Observational measures: observing and
recording events
Example: Whyte’s participant observation
of corner gangs
Overt vs. covert observation
Hawthorne effect
What Methods Do Researchers Use?
Qualitative and Quantitative (structured)
measures
Bales's Interaction Process Analysis
(IPA) classifies behaviors into two
categories: task and relationship
behaviors
1.
2.
3.
Bale’s SYMLOG (Systematic Multiple Level Observation of
Groups) identifies 3 key dimensions:
Dominance/Submissiveness
Friendliness/Unfriendliness
Acceptance of Authority/Nonacceptance of Authority.
Self-Report Methods
Self-report measures: group members
describe their perceptions and experiences
Example: Personality
Emotional Intelligence
Organizational
Climate
Personality : Mackinnon (1959)
Personality refers to “factors” inside people
that explain their behavior
The sum total of typical ways of acting,
thinking, and feeling that makes a person
unique.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Myers-Briggs: based on Jungian theory of
personality
Classifies individuals along 4 theoretically
independent dimensions.
MBTI Scales
ExtroversionIntroversion Scale
Sensing-Intuition
Scale
E: Oriented primarily
S: Individual reports
observable facts through
one or more of the five
senses
toward the outer world;
focus on people and
objects
I: Oriented primarily
toward the inner world;
focus on concepts and
ideas
N: Reports meanings,
relationships and/or
possibilities that have
been worked out beyond
the reach of the conscious
mind
MBTI Scales
Thinking-Feeling
Scale
Perception-Judging
Scale
T: Judgment is
P: Preference for using a
impersonally based on
logical consequences
perceptive process for
dealing with the outer world
F: Judgment is primarily
based on personal or
social values
J: Preference for using a
judgment process for
dealing with the outer world
What Is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence involves the “abilities to
perceive, appraise, and express emotion; to
access and/or generate feelings when they
facilitate thought; to understand emotion and
emotional knowledge; and to regulate emotions to
promote emotional and intellectual growth”
BarOn EQ-i Factors
Intra-Personal
Emotional Self-Awareness
Assertiveness
Self-Regard
Self-Actualization
Independence
Interpersonal Relationship
Empathy
Social Responsibility
Problem Solving
Flexibility
Reality Testing
Stress Management
Inter-Personal
Adaptability
Stress Tolerance
Impulse Control
General Mood
Optimism
Happiness
BarOn EQ-i
Sample Test Items:
I have good relations with others
I’m fun to be with
I like helping people
Rating Scale:
1 = Very Seldom or Not True of me
5 = Very Often True of Me or True of Me
Disadvantage of Self-Report Tests
Social Desirability
Faking “Good”
Faking “Bad”
Random Responding
Sociometry
A research technique that graphically summarizes
patterns of intermember relations.
Sociometric structures:
- stars
- unpopulars
- isolates
- positives
- negatives
- pairs
- clusters
- fringers
Assessment Methods
Any measure, to be scientifically useful, must
have reliability and validity.
Reliability
Reliability is synonymous with consistency. It is the degree to which test
scores for a an individual test taker or group of test takers are consistent
over repeated applications.
No psychological test is completely consistent, however, a measurement
that is unreliable is worthless.
For Example
A student receives a score of 100 on one intelligence tests and
114 in another or imagine that every time you stepped on a
scale it showed a different weight.
Would you keep using these measurement tools?
The consistency of test scores is critically important in determining
whether a test can provide good measurement.
Test-retest Reliability
Test-retest reliability is usually measured by computing the
correlation coefficient between scores of two
administrations.
Validity
Refers to measuring what we intend to measure.
If math and vocabulary truly represent intelligence then a
math and vocabulary test might be said to have high
validity when used as a measure of intelligence.
Predictive Validity
The extent to which scores on the scale are related to, and
predictive of, some future outcome that is of practical
utility.
e.g., If higher scores on the SAT are positively correlated
with
higher G.P.A.’s and visa versa, then the SAT is said to
have predictive validity.
The Predictive Validity of the SAT is mildly supported by
the relation of that scale with performance in graduate
school.
What Are the Key Characteristics & Differences
Between Case, Experimental, & Correlational Studies of
Group Processes?
Case Study
Example: Groupthink groups (Janis)
Bona fide groups
Experiments
Key features
manipulate independent variable
measure dependent variable
control other variables
Example: Lewin, Lippitt, & White’s study of leadership
Strength: Test cause-effect relationships
Characteristics and Differences (cont’d)
Case studies: atypical of most groups, subjective,
stimulate theory
Experiments: too artificial, not “real” groups, but
clearest test of cause and effect.
Correlational studies: limited information about
causality but precise estimates of the strength of
relationships, less artificial, fewer ethical concerns
Multi-level approaches are uniquely informative
What Theoretical Perspectives Guide
Researchers’ Studies of Groups?
Motivational models: Lewin's level-of-aspiration
theory
Behavioral approaches: Thibaut and Kelley's
social exchange theory
Systems theory: Input-process-output models
of performance
Cognitive theories: Berger's expectation-states
theory
Biological perspectives: Evolutionary
psychology (or sociobiology)
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