Introduction to Group Dynamics (PSY 590-01)
Thurs. 6:30 – 9:15
228 FSC
Spring 2011
Web: http://webspace.ship.edu/jacamp/grad_groups.htm
Readings
Articles available on D2L at http://d2l.ship.edu/
Course Purpose
The purpose of the course is to provide students with a broad overview of the various theories
and research pertaining to group dynamics. We will examine the factors that influence group
membership and how the structure and development of groups progresses over time. We will
look at intragroup dynamics and how the perceptions of our ingroup members influence
attitudes, judgments, and performance. We will also explore how our social identities influence
perceptions of outgroup members as well as our intergroup relations. Lastly, we will examine
how situational factors and emerging technologies influence both intra- and intergroup
behaviors.
Course Format
This course will be conducted in a seminar format. While no one is expected to be an expert in
the field of group dynamics, everyone is expected to voice their opinions, ask critical questions,
and assist in the overall understanding of the material.
Every class period, student teams will serve as discussion leaders for the week’s readings.
Discussion leaders should plan on spending 20-30 minutes analyzing each of the week’s
readings. They should prepare 4-5 questions per article that will be used to generate thoughtful
discussion and critical examination of the readings. You should post your discussion questions
on D2L at least 24 hours in advance. I am also available to meet with discussion leaders prior to
their class facilitation (strongly recommended).
Since this class employs a seminar format, preparation and class participation are crucial. It is
expected that each student prints out and answers each of the week’s discussion questions prior
to our class meeting, and actively participates in the class discussions. Class members may also
generate questions of their own and present them during our discussions. Remember that
everyone will have to lead a discussion, so it would be wise to help out your fellow classmates
and chances are they will return the favor.
Course Requirements
Class Facilitation (50 points)
Each week teams of students will be responsible for leading the class discussion. You will be
responsible for providing 4-5 questions per article and posting them on D2L at least a day before
your facilitation. Your task is not to lecture the class, but to provide a structure and framework
for the class that will generate discussion and critical analysis of the readings. You do this by
integrating the articles with other readings/theory from the course, critically examining the
design and methods of the study, and discussing how the work enhances the field of group
dynamics.
Reaction Papers (50 points)
Students are responsible for writing five reaction papers (2-3 pages) over the course of the
semester. Each paper should cover the readings associated with one of the various topics that we
will cover in class. These papers should provide a critical analysis of the readings associated
with that topic. You should discuss the relevant implications of the research as well as the
interconnections among the readings from the current and previous weeks. Reaction papers
should be typed and double-spaced. Your paper for each specific topic is due the class period
that we discuss that topic. Late and/or emailed papers will not be accepted. You cannot write a
reaction paper for a week that you are facilitating class discussion.
Research Outline (25 points)
The final project for the class will be for students to submit an original research proposal
pertaining to any area of group dynamics. This project will give you an opportunity to explore in
detail some specific aspect of group dynamics that interests you. Prior to writing your proposal,
you are required to submit a research outline that briefly describes your research questions,
methods, plan, and materials that will comprise your proposed line of research. Your outline
should include a brief overview of the literature (2 articles minimum), you basic
question/hypotheses, and a brief methodology for data collection. Your paper should be roughly
3-5 pages in length and formatted in accordance with APA style (e.g citations, reference page).
DUE MAR. 3.
Research Proposal (100 points)
Your research proposal will be an extension of your outline. You should choose an area of group
dynamics that appeals to your interest, and develop a well-thought-out research proposal. Your
proposal should be an original study that would add something to the field of group dynamics. It
is often helpful to focus your proposal on a topic that you facilitated during the semester.
Although you are not required to actually carry out the research, this proposal can serve as a
connection or stepping-stone towards a master’s thesis. The proposal should be a maximum of
20 pages (not including references) and must be written in accordance with the APA Publication
Manual (6th ed.) DUE APRIL 28.
Class Participation (75 points)
Everyone is expected to come to class having read (not skimmed) all of the assigned articles and
questions posted on D2L. It is a good idea to take notes on each article while you are reading.
Because this class uses a seminar format, group discussion and constructive criticism of the
material is essential to successful learning. Class discussion and debate will help us to all
understand and critically analyze the various research topics.
Schedule and Reading List
Jan. 20 Overview
Jan. 27 Introduction
Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. (1998). Small groups. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G.
Lindzey (Eds.), The Handbook of Social Psychology (pp. 415-469). Boston: McGraw Hill.
Moreland, R. L. Hogg, M. A., & Hains, S. C. (1994). Back to the future: Social psychological
research on groups. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 30, 527-555.
Sanna & Parks (1997). Group research trends in social and organizational psychology: Whatever
happened to intragroup research? Psychological Science, 8, 261-267
Wittenbaum, G. M., & Moreland, R. L. (in press). Small group research in social psychology:
Topics and trends over time. Social and Personality Psychology Compass.
Feb. 3 Group Structure and Composition
Mannix, E., & Neale, M. A. (2005). What differences make a difference? The promise and
reality of diverse teams in organizations. Psychological Science in the Public Interest,
6(2), 1-25.
Heilman, M. E., & Welle, B. (2006). The effects of diversity goals on competence perceptions.
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 1291-1319.
Klein, H. J., & Mulvey, P. W. (1995). Two Investigations of the Relationships among Group
Goal Commitment, Cohesion, and Performance. Organizational Behavior &
Human Decision Processes, 61, 44-53.
Goals,
Wheelan, S. A. (2009). Group size, group development, and group productivity. Small Group
Research, 40, 247-262.
Feb. 10 Socially Shared Cognition
Tindale, R. S., (2001). Shared cognition and small groups. In M. A. Hogg, & R. S. Tindale
(Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Group processes. (pp. 1-30). Malden, MA:
Blackwell.
Blickensderfer, E. L., Reynolds, R., Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2010). Shared
expectations and implicit coordination in tennis doubles teams. Journal of Applied Sport
Psychology, 22(4), 486-499. doi:10.1080/10413200.2010.507497
Hollingshead, A. B. (2000). Perceptions of expertise and transactive memory in work
relationships. GPIR, 3, 257-267.
Hollingshead, A. B., & Fraidin, A. B. (2003). Gender stereotypes and assumptions about
expertise in transactive memory. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 355-363.
Feb. 17 Time and Groups
McGrath, J. E., Kelly, J. R., & Machatka, D. E. (1984). The social psychology of time:
Entrainment of behavior in social and organizational settings. In S. Oskamp (Ed.), Applied social
psychology annual (Vol. 5, pp. 21–44). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publishing Co.
Walther, J. B. (1995). Relational aspects of computer-mediated communication:
Experimental observations over time. Organizational Science, 6(2), 186–203.
Harrison, D. A., Mohammed, S., McGrath, J. E., Florey, A. T., & Vanderstoep, S. W. (2003).
Time matters in team performance: Effects of member familiarity, entrainment, and task
discontinuity on speed and quality. Personnel Psychology, 56, 633–669.
Campbell, J., & Stasser, G. (2006). The influence of time and task demonstrability on decisionmaking in computer-mediated and face-to-face groups. Small Group Research, 37, 271-294.
Feb. 24 Deviance and Ostracism
Jones, E. E., Carter-Sowell, A. R., Kelly, J. R., & Williams, K. D. (2009). 'I'm out of the loop':
Ostracism through information exclusion. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 12(2), 157174.
Williams, K. D., & Sommer (1997). Social ostracism by coworkers: Does rejection lead to ‘
or compensation? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 693-706.
loafing
Williams, K. D., Govan, C. L., Croker, V., Tynan, D., Cruickshank, M., & Lam, A. (2002).
Investigations into differences between social- and cyberostracism. Group Dynamics: Theory,
Research and Practice, 6, 65-77.
Warburton, W. A., Williams, K. D., & Cairns, D. R. (2006). When ostracism leads to aggression:
The moderating effects of control deprivation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42,
213-220.
Mar. 3 Group Productivity
Kerr, N. L., & Tindale, R. S. (2004). Group performance and decision making. Annual
Review of Psychology, 56, 623-655.
Wittenbaum, G. M., Vaughan, S. I., & Stasser, G. (1998). Coordination in task-performing
groups. In R. S. Tindale and Associates (Eds.), Theory and research in small groups (pp. 177204). New York: Plenum Press.
Kerr, N. L., Messe, L. A., & Seok, D. (2007). Psychological mechanisms underlying the Köhler
motivation gain. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 828-841
Putman, V. L., & Paulus, P. B. (2009). Brainstorming, brainstorming rules and decision
making. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 43(1), 23-39
Mar. 5-13
SPRING BREAK
Mar. 17 Decision-making and Problem Solving
Stasser, G. & Titus,W. (2003). Hidden profiles: A brief history. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 304313
Campbell, J. (2010). Information sharing and processing in computer-mediated communication.
In Yearwood, J. & Stranieri, A. (Eds.). Technologies for Supporting Reasoning Communities and
Collaborative Decision-Making: Cooperative Approaches. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Sommers, S. R. (2006). On racial diversity and group decision making: Identifying multiple
effects of racial composition on jury deliberations. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 90, 597-612.
Wittenbaum, G. M., Hubbell, A. P., & Zuckerman, C. (1999). Mutual enhancement: Toward an
understanding of the collective preference for shared information. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 77, 967-978.
Mar. 24 Leadership
Kaiser, R.B., Hogan, R., & Craig, S.B. (2008). Leadership and the fate of organizations.
American Psychologist, 63, 96-110.
Kotlyar, I., & Karakowsky, L. (2006). Leading Conflict?: Linkages Between Leader Behaviors
and Group Conflict. Small Group Research, 37(4), 377-403.
Ayman, R., & Korabik, K. (2010). Leadership: Why gender and culture matter. American
Psychologist, 65(3), 157-170.
Eagly, A. H., & Johannesen-Schmide, M. C. (2001). The leadership styles of women and men.
Journal of Social Issues, 57, 781-797.
Mar. 31 Social Identity and Intergroup Behavior
Hogg, M. A., & Tindale, R. (2005). Chapter 7: Social Identity, Influence, and Communication in
Small Groups. In , Intergroup Communication (pp. 141-164). Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
Postmes, T., Spears, R. & Cihangir, S. (2001). Quality of decision-making and group norms.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 918-930
Brewer, M. B., & Pierce, K. P. (2005). Social Identity Complexity and Outgroup
Tolerance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(3), 428-437.
Brewer, M. B. (2007). The importance of being we: Human nature and intergroup relations.
American Psychologist, 62, 728-738.
April 7 Reducing Intergroup Bias
Wright, S.C., Aron, A., Jaughlin-Volpe, T. & Ropp, S.A. (1997). The extended contact effect:
Knowledge of cross-group friendships and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 73, 73-90.
Laar, C.V., Levin, S., Sinclair, S. & Sidanius, J. (2005). The effect of university roommate
contact on ethnic attitudes and behavior. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 41,
329-345.
Dasgupta, N., Rivera, L.M. (2008). When social context matters: The influence of long-term
contact and short-serm exposure to admired outgroup members on implicit attitudes and
behavioral intentions. Social Cognition, 26(1), 112-123.
Page-Gould, E., Mendoza-Denton, R., & Tropp, L. (2008). With a little help from my crossgroup friend: Reducing anxiety in intergroup contexts through cross-group friendship. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1080-1094.
April 14 Mood, Emotions, and Groups
Kelly, J. R., & Barsade, S. G. (2001). Mood and emotions in small groups and work teams.
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 86, 99-130
Grawitch, M. J., Munz, D. C., & Kramer, T. J. (2003). Effects of member mood states on
creative performance in temporary workgroups. Group Dynamics, 7, 41-54.
Sy, T., Cote, S., & Saavedra, R. (2005). The contagious leader: Impact of the leader's mood on
the mood of group members, group affective tone, and group processes. Journal of
Applied Psychology, 90, 295-305.
Jones, E. E., & Kelly, J. R. (2009). No pain, no gains: Negative mood leads to process gains in
idea-generation groups. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 13, 75-88.
April 21 Emotional and Behavioral Synchrony
Barsade, S. G. (2002). The ripple effects: Emotional contagion and its influence on group
behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47, 644-675.
Chartrand, T.L., & Bargh, J.A. (1999). The chameleon effect: The perception-behavior link and
social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 893-910
Lakin, J., & Chartrand, T.L. (2003). Using nonconscious behavioral mimicry to create affiliation
and rapport. Psychological Science, 14, 334-339.
Campbell, J., Cothren, D., & Burg, A. (2010). The perpetuation of entrained behavior during
computer-mediated communication. Social Influence, 5(1), 59-73.
April 28 Technology and Groups
Hollingshead, A. B. (2001). Computer-mediated communication, the internet, and group
research. In M. Hogg and R. S. Tindale (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology. Vol. 3
Group Processes (pp. 557-573). Oxford, England: Blackwell.
McKenna, K. Y. A. (2008). Influences on the nature and functioning of online groups. In A.
Barak (Ed.), Psychological aspects of cyberspace: Theory, research, applications (pp. 228-242).
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Lee, S. (2009). Online communication and adolescent social ties: Who benefits more from
Internet use? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(3), 509-531
McKenna, K.Y.A., Green, A.S., Gleason, M.E.J. (2002). Relationship formation on the internet:
What’s the big attraction? Journal of Social Issues, 58, 9-31.