Groups, prejudice, and helping
Being in a group changes how people think and act, for better and worse.
Group effects
Social facilitation is improved performance on simple tasks in front of others; on difficult tasks, an audience can hurt performance. Social loafing is reduced effort when working in a group. Groupthink occurs when a cohesive group values agreement so much that it fails to consider alternatives, leading to poor decisions. Group polarisation is the strengthening of a group's initial views through discussion.
Prejudice and discrimination
Prejudice is a negative attitude toward a group; discrimination is negative action. Stereotypes are generalised beliefs about groups. People tend to favour their in-group over out-groups. Contact between groups under equal status and shared goals, as in Muzafer Sherif's Robbers Cave study, can reduce hostility.
Helping and the bystander effect
The bystander effect is the finding that people are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present, partly because of diffusion of responsibility: each person assumes someone else will act. Altruism is helping others without expecting reward. Knowing about the bystander effect can make people more likely to step in.
Flashcard
Seeking agreement at the expense of good decisions
Check your understanding
Several people walk past someone who has collapsed, each assuming another person will call for help. This illustrates: