Additional Reading

1. Additional Reading • Forsyth pg. 112-115 • Socialization

2. Research Methods • Sociometry • Activity • Surveys and Questionnaires • Activity • Case Studies • Research Ethics • Activity

4. Sociometry • Sociometry • A technique for analyzing the pattern of relationships among group members- especially hierarchies, friendship networks and cliques • Sociogram • A graphic display of group members ratings of one another • Stars (center): individuals preferred by many members • Isolates (edges): preferred by few • Chains: members who form cliques • Sociometric status: • Average rating of how much a member is liked

5. Sociogram

6. Activity: Make a Sociogram • Many TV shows are about a group of friends of co-workers. Choose such a show that all group members are familiar with and make a sociogram where each member is represented by a circle and arrows from one circle to another represent whether the relationship is positive or negative (use a + or – mark). Place individuals that are preferred by many group members (stars) in the center, and put those that are preferred by few (isolates) on the edges.

7. Surveys and Questionnaires • Paper and pencil instruments to measure various aspects of group functioning • Dependent variables in experiments • Variables in correlational studies • Simply to provide group feedback • Advantages of survey research • Efficiency • Generalizability • Considered easy to design

8. Writing Questions Discuss the following questions with your neighbor. Think about difficulties respondents might have in: • answering a question • answering it truthfully

9. Questions • How often do you use the Internet at work to look up information about sports? • If you didn’t use email to keep in touch with friends, how else would you do it? • What annoys you the most about cell phones? • How have you used the Internet to learn about improving your health habits?

10. Pitfalls in Survey Design • Problems with measurements: • The questions we ask • The way we present the questions • Nonresponse

11. Writing Questions – Pitfalls to Avoid • Confusing questions are not clear to respondents. Examples: • Double negatives • Double barreled questions • Biased questions lead respondents to answer in a certain way • Uncomfortable questions make it difficult for respondents to agree (or disagree) with a statement

12. Writing Questions – Pitfalls to Avoid • Forced-choice questions prevent a respondent who has no opinion from answering them truthfully • Vague response categories make it difficult for respondents to choose a response • Overlapping response categories confuses the respondent who has to choose between two or more categories for an answer

13. An intensive description and analysis of groups. May use a variety of research methods Observations Interviews Surveys Advantages: Informing us on rare, unusual or noteworthy conditions not easily studied otherwise Disadvantages: Causes cannot be identified Case Studies

14. Hawthorne Plant Studies

15. Ethics in Research • Group dynamics researchers protect the rights of the groups and people they study by following a number of ethical guidelines.

16. Informed consent Individual freedom to withdraw Use of deception Protection from physical/psychological harm Confidentiality of data Evaluate risk/benefit ratio Debriefing Ethical Treatment of Human Participants

17. Ethical Review Boards • AKA Institutional review board • Examine proposed research studies to determine whether they are in accordance with standard ethical guidelines

18. Research Ethics Activity • Role play members of an IRB. • Read the proposed project, evaluate on methodology and ethics. • Identify measurement methods used (observational, self-report…) • Identify design as case-study, correlational, experimental • Decide if project is ethical or unethical. If unethical, make suggestions to make it ethical.