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Studying Groups

Studying Groups. 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?. Reliable and valid measurement Research procedures to test hypotheses about groups

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Studying Groups

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  1. Studying Groups How do researchers test their theories and hypotheses about groups and their dynamics?

  2. What Are the Three Critical Requirements of a Scientific Study of Groups? • Reliable and valid measurement • Research procedures to test hypotheses about groups • Theories that organize knowledge of groups

  3. What Methods Do Researchers Use to Measure Individual and Group Processes? • Observational measures: observing and recording events • Qualitative and quantitative (structured) measures • Bales's Interaction Process Analysis (IPA) classifies behaviors into two categories: task and relationship behaviors

  4. Bale’s SYMLOG (Systematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups) identifies 3 key dimensions: dominance/submissiveness, friendliness/unfriendliness, and acceptance of authority/nonacceptance of authority.

  5. What Methods Do Researchers Use to Measure Individual and Group Processes? • Self-report measures: group members describe their perceptions and experiences • Example: Moreno's sociometry method • Sociometric structures: stars, rejected, etc.

  6. What Methods Do Researchers Use to Measure Individual and Group Processes? • Any measure, to be scientifically useful, must have reliability and validity.

  7. What Are the Key Characteristics of, and Differences Between Case, Experimental, and 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

  8. What Are the Key Characteristics of, and Differences Between Case, Experimental, and Correlational Studies of Group Processes? • Experiments (cont.) • Example: Lewin, Lippitt, and White’s study of leadership • Strength: Test cause-effect relationships

  9. What Are the Key Characteristics of, and Differences Between Case, Experimental, and Correlational Studies of Group Processes? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of case, experimental, and correlational designs? • 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 • Multilevel approaches are uniquely informative

  10. 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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